The Damsel in Distress Complex
by xStarDazedx
Summary: Running from a dark past, Penny is looking for someone to save her from not only who she is running from but what she is starting to become as a result of it.
1. Fear is Only in Our Minds

First story in a while and my first Big Bang story. I own nothing

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**Chapter 1: Fear is Only in Our Minds**

Penny was always a hit with the boys.

Ever since she started developing she noticed their heads would turn as they watched her strut her stuff down the hallway as if she were on the catwalk. Truth be told, she loved the attention she received and the boys that did get a chance with her also enjoyed her hard shell. She may look like a Barbie doll on the outside but on the inside she was not all sugar, spice and everything nice. The problem with Penny is when she figured out what she wanted, she went for it no matter what the cost and most of the time she got what she strived for. So when she decided to pursue an acting career instead of remain at a community college in Omaha, she went ahead and moved to Pasadena. That was where she met Kurt.

He was every woman's fantasy. Large muscles, a body sculpted to perfection, and a charm that could make anyone putty in his hands with the snap of his fingers. When Penny realized that Kurt pursued her over other women she eagerly entered a relationship with him, feeling as if she had just won the lottery. All she needed was the Hollywood career and life would be sweet. Unfortunately her semi-charmed life came to a crashing halt when she bombed her first audition and Kurt started becoming possessive.

At first it wasn't too bad. A phone call or text during the day asking what she was up to and that he missed her. She found it endearing, falling even deeper in love with him. Then one phone call became four, then five, six, seven, at one point she missed twelve calls from Kurt. He left voicemails feeling hurt and angry that she hadn't answered him and by the last call she could tell he had been drinking heavily since his message was barely comprehensible. When she arrived home he was waiting for her on the couch wanting to talk. Still depressed by the failed audition she told him the talk can wait and headed for the bedroom. Kurt got up and grabbed her by the arm telling her they needed to talk now. She made the mistake of pushing him off her which ended up with him shoving her to the floor, hitting her head on the leg of a hallway table.

He was yelling at her. Telling her something but she just couldn't concentrate. Her head hurt so badly. Finally he went back to the couch and continued to watch whatever was on the television. After a little bit she stood up feeling a little dizzy and made her way to the bathroom. She felt a bump on the back of her head but thankfully no blood. Kurt had never done anything like this to her before and she passed it off as him being drunk. She was pleased that when he woke her up the next morning he showered her with kisses and delightful lovemaking before taking her out to breakfast. Kurt apologized for his behavior. He explained work was stressful and wanted to spend more time with her. She forgave him and promised to try and make time for him. And she did.

That is until one day she decided to go out shopping with a girlfriend. Kurt grew angry, thinking she had ditched him to go hang out with other people because she liked her friends more than him. That's completely ridiculous she told him. He called her a liar and smacked her across the face. She started crying and asked him to stop. He hit her again. She lay on the floor of the apartment unable to stop her sobs from spilling out of her body. Her stomach hurt, her face stung and she started to feel resentment bubble up inside. The beatings became more frequent after that night and she no longer looked forward to his brief honeymoon stage where he would shower her with affection and promises of never hurting her again; Penny would rather he stay angry all the time that way she would be better prepared for his next episode. She rarely went anywhere other than auditions but soon she began to find her desire of acting dwindle. There were days where she rarely wanted to get out of bed and her friends had tried to contact her but she knew if she spoke a syllable to them Kurt would blow his stack.

She hated feeling isolated from the world. She wanted to be a part of it, she wanted to matter to people; it was the reason why she wanted to become famous but now that the dream was gone, what else was there to chase? Kurt worked most of the time which left her home alone wallowing in self-pity. No, she wouldn't do that. She had to do something with her time. Perhaps get a job and add to the income. She was sure Kurt wouldn't mind if she made a little money. Penny brought up the subject and was surprised he said he was okay with it. The next day she applied everywhere and anywhere and fortunately the Cheesecake Factory was hiring. Her relief of getting a job not only stemmed from the fact she was doing something productive but now she could forget about Kurt just for a few hours and not be stuck in the apartment, scared to death about who was coming home to her.

Four years passed quickly and she was still at her job but now her money no longer went to her account. Instead Kurt gathered up as much as he could for himself and would blow it on booze or some prostitute. Penny knew he started becoming unfaithful to her and she dare not confront him unless she wanted another broken rib. However it was starting to become too much to deal with and Penny knew she had to leave sooner rather than later. But where would she go? Kurt watched over her money, she didn't have friends anymore, and what if he found out where she was? She had a feeling if it came down to it, Kurt would kill her. She nearly broke down at work, emotionally and physically tired from all the hurt her boyfriend had caused her. She wished it would all go away.

"Are you alright Penny?" The tall blonde looked up and saw her friend Bernadette standing beside her with worry in her eyes.

"Yeah I'm alright, just really tired is all." Penny stood up and straightened out her uniform. She took a step forward and winced. Her beating was worse than others she had received and her rib had not completely healed since her last trip to the doctor. The worst thing was the bruise that came along with it. It was nearly the size of Texas and hadn't gotten much better.

Suck it up she told herself. With a deep breath she walked over to her next table.

"Hello my name is Penny and I'll be your server this evening. What can I start you off with?" she spoke in her friendliest voice.

"We don't usually eat here, I don't know what's good." said the first voice. Penny looked and saw the voice belonged to the tallest man in the group.

"Just get a hamburger, you like hamburgers." This came from the man with the glasses who looked like he was stuck babysitting his five year old brother.

"I like the hamburgers at Big Boy and you cannot make the assumption that I'll like the hamburgers here. Besides they have more than one hamburger here while Big Boy just makes it simple has one." Penny was not in the mood for this back and forth nonsense.

"Our barbeque burger is like the Big Boy." She explained. Maybe this will assuage him to finally order. "Excuse me but in a world where there is already a Big Boy, why would I settle for something that is like a Big Boy?" his sassy attitude was the last straw for her.

"Because you are not at Big Boy!" he looked astonished at her and ordered the barbeque burger. His friend next to him ordered the same thing not looking at her. After she wrote down their orders she went back to the kitchen before heading outside for air.

Now her job was being affected by her tumultuous relationship. She knew it was wrong of her to snap at the man but at the same time she couldn't control her emotions anymore. Finally she let the tears fall. It had to end she told herself. She couldn't continue this any longer and quite frankly she didn't deserve it. Penny thought about what she needed to pack and how to make sure Kurt wouldn't find her. Pasadena was a decent sized city but she would have to go off the radar. She continued through her shift thinking of ways to execute her plan. However she knew she would need help pulling this off. Fortunately she knew the person who would be willing to lend a helping hand.

"Bernadette, can I talk to you for a few minutes?" The smaller woman turned away from her car and looked at Penny. "I-uh…I have this…friend and..uh.." God this was harder than she thought. Come on Penny she thought to herself, you can do this just tell her.

"Penny, are you sure you're alright?" Bernadette placed a hand on Penny's arm and that is when she crumbled.

"Kurt hits me!" she sobbed. "It's been going on for years now and I can't take it anymore Bernadette, I just can't!" Bernadette embraced the taller woman in a hug and let her cry it out until she was ready to speak again.

"I want to leave him but I have nowhere to go, he takes all the money I make and I wouldn't know how to get rid of him completely." She explained as she wiped her tears on her jacket.

"You can always crash at my place until you find your own. And why not get a restraining order?" said Bernadette.

Penny had thought of filing a complaint but was too afraid to have to admit what she allowed herself to succumb to and have other people butt into her personal life. Asking her to relive the pain of each bruise, each broken bone, and then the dreaded question of why she let it happen. She blamed herself for allowing it to continue. She could have left after the first hit but she stayed and now this situation was her fault. That was what frightened her about going to the police. She didn't want to be judged by them because she felt they would side with Kurt on her deserving her punishment.

No. She would not let herself think that. The police could help her; they would help her. Perhaps a restraining order was best.

She thanked Bernadette for the comfort and offer and headed back to her apartment where Kurt was passed out on the couch, beer cans spread out in front of him. Penny changed out of her uniform and crawled into bed. She closed her eyes and thought about what it would be like to be away from Kurt. Like all other little girls she wanted to find her Prince Charming. At first she thought Kurt was it but now she knew better. Still she clung to the hope of him being out there and hopefully finding her in the predicament she was in and taking her away where she would be protected. Of course that only happens in fairytales and Penny had to rely on herself only to get out of her messy life.

Maybe if she changed her name. Dyed her hair a different color and moved across town. It seemed a bit of a stretch but it was worth a shot. She would have to tell the restaurant her predicament so money could be transferred to another account and she was not looking forward to that conversation. But she would not give up her job just because her meathead of a boyfriend scared her. She got that job on her own and she'll be damned if anyone took it away from her.

Tomorrow she would go to the police station during her break and see about the restraining order and pick up her paycheck herself so she could have some money. As Penny thought about it more, she became confident that it would happen; a feeling she hadn't experienced in quite a long time. She jumped when a heavy snore came from the living room, followed by incoherent mumbling until silence finally took over the entire apartment.

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**Tell me what you think**


	2. Out for my Own, Out to be Free

**Again I own nothing**

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Chapter 2: Out for my Own, Out to be Free

"Why the fuck do I have to be such a shoe maniac?" Penny whispered out loud to herself.

Although Kurt was already at work she couldn't help but feel he was still watching her, waiting for her to screw up and then jump out and attack her. Her lunch break was only an hour long which meant she had no time to dilly dally if she wanted to get as much in her car before her time was up.

That morning when she woke up she decided to take her things out of the apartment little by little so Kurt wouldn't suspect anything. He may be dense most of the time but she couldn't underestimate him knowing what he was capable of doing to her when her guard was down. She looked at what was in her duffel and was satisfied with what she had done so far. Checking her phone she saw she had fifteen more minutes before she was expected at work. Looking around the bedroom she wondered if she could pack anything else up. Deciding not to risk it, she grabbed her bag and hurried back down to her car.

Back at the Cheesecake Factory Bernadette caught up with Penny after she put in a couple's order.

"Have you gone to the police yet?" she asked quietly.

"Not yet. I figured I might do so tomorrow since I'll have off and he'll most likely stay out most of the night." Penny shrugged. Bernadette had to admire Penny's courage for putting on a front. She knew if she were in that position she would not hold it together at all. "What are you going to do once you're moved out?" the short woman inquired.

"I don't know. I have to find someplace to live…" Suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks. She had to find a place of her own when her account was low. She would be on her own for the first time and it all felt so….lonely. Her breathing increased, she felt herself start to sweat and her knees grew weak.

"Penny?" Bernadette placed a hand on the tall girl's arm. "Bern….can't…breathe…" Quickly Bernadette rushed Penny to the back entrance and had her stand against the wall.

"Okay Penny you need to breathe, slow and steady." Penny shook her head feeling as if she was dying. "Yes you need to breathe. Deep breath in and let it out slow. Come on follow me." Bernadette exaggerated taking in a breath then blowing it out. After a few times of doing it herself Penny followed suit and soon her friend started to calm down. After about five minutes Penny turned away from Bernadette and threw up. She let everything empty out while Bernadette rubbed soothing circles on her back. There were a few dry heaves left before she stood straight up and wiped her mouth. What was happening to her? She was falling apart.

"I'm sorry Bernadette….everything finally became real." She spoke the last bit in a whisper and all Bernadette could do was hug her friend. "It'll be okay Penny. You can get through this." Penny didn't break the embrace for quite some time until she realized she still had people to serve. She followed Bernadette back into the restaurant and took a moment to compose herself. One step at a time Penny, she told herself, one step at a time. With the mantra repeating in her head Penny made it through her shift and before heading home, she decided to talk to her manager about creating a new account where her paycheck would go to. Without getting into details, Penny arranged it so that starting next week her money would go to her new account instead of Kurt's. Penny left the restaurant feeling proud that she has made two leaps forward in the right direction. What she was dreading was filing the restraining order.

Thankfully for Penny she got home first and headed to her laptop to look up about filing a complaint that would hopefully become a shield against Kurt, until she could figure out something else. "How many forms do you have to fill out?" she asked herself as she perused through the information she found.

She was given the option of choosing permanent or temporary and there were different types of restraining orders. She clicked on the domestic violence tab and was brought to the steps and procedures of what she would have to do. What scared her most was the fact of going to court, facing Kurt, and reliving each nightmare after another. Penny could remember every mark he made on her body and how much pain she was in during and after. She could recount having to think of a lie anytime a bruise was shown or when she had to go to the doctor to be healed for bones. She didn't want to talk about it she just wanted to be away from Kurt! Furthermore she couldn't hire a lawyer due to her financial struggles and Kurt would most likely paint the picture of him being the victim instead of her.

Every sentence she read made her less sure about wanting to file a restraining order. Why couldn't she just ask for one and have it be done? Penny exited out of the window, closed her laptop then tossed it aside. She sat forward on her knees letting her head fall into her hands. It was all just overwhelming. Maybe the restraining order was best but she felt too weak to go through with it. She knew Kurt wouldn't obey it anyway so what was the point of even trying? Penny's hands curled into fists and angry tears started to slip. She then stood up and started packing up her stuffed animals before moving towards the bathroom to collect her shower belongings but leaving her tooth brush at least until tomorrow.

She finished collecting things when she heard the key in the door. Quickly shoving everything under the door she jumped under the covers, not caring if she was still in her uniform and pretended to be asleep.

The apartment was dark and by Kurt's grumbling he was not happy about it. She heard him call her a bitch before walking over to the fridge to take out a beer. The top popped off and he slammed the door shut. Footsteps came to the bedroom and she could see his silhouette standing underneath the doorway. She silently begged that he would go back to the couch and pass out. Over and over she begged for solace but unfortunately he walked over to her, set his beer on the nightstand and got in next to her. His mouth was on her neck and she felt herself break out into goose bumps but not in the way she used to back when things were good. If anything he felt like a fungus she wished to be rid of. His lips moved down, taking a pause so he could unbutton her white blouse. Oh God this was not happening. He had never done this before.

"I know you're not asleep Penny. Your heartbeat sped up." Since when did he become observant? she pondered.

Deciding to no longer feign innocence she opened her eyes and caught Kurt staring down at her with a menacing stare. She had never been so terrified in her life. "Why don't we have a little fun?" In a flash her shirt was off her body and he began to roughly explore her exposed flesh. Penny didn't say a word the entire time. Not even after it was done. Kurt kissed her one last time before putting on clothes, taking his beer from the table and leaving the apartment, no doubt to find some more fun. Penny lay there, her naked body uncovered, staring at the ceiling fan. Could that be considered rape? No she thought. She didn't say no. Then again she didn't consent either. Still she let him do it. Penny covered her hands and let out a scream.

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The next morning she saw no sign of Kurt and went down to her car to pack up the rest of her things. If she planned on leaving she was going to have to do it sooner than she hoped for. Checking her phone she saw it was nearly noon and still had no idea when Kurt would be back. She looked around the bedroom and found nothing that was hers and did the same for the bathroom and living room. Penny couldn't believe that she was all packed. Nothing was stopping her from leaving forever. She gathered her purse and keys, ready to say goodbye until the door opened and in walked her nightmare.

He stared at her for a moment and then smirked. "Where are you off to so early in the day?" he walked over to the kitchen and searched for a snack. When his back was turned she slowly made her way to the door and stopped once he faced her.

"I was going to go to the store and pick up some things. I figured you could also use more beer." There you go she told herself, boost his ego a bit. Pretend you're the good girlfriend he thinks you are.

"Where did you get money? I haven't given you any since two weeks ago. Did you go and spend it on girly crap like you always do?" He laughed at his own joke but she just looked down at her feet. "I still have some left over from last time." She spoke quietly.

He took the bag of chips he found and went to go sit on the couch. "Whatever. Just make sure you don't get the shitty kind like last time."

Penny remembered with a shiver about when she got the wrong beer. Kurt threw it at the wall before grabbing her hair and shoving her to the ground. She hit the floor so hard that she bruised her elbow and thigh. She turned to open the door when again he spoke up.

"When were you going to tell me that you were going on a trip?"

She froze.

"What are you talking about?" she played the dumb card.

"Your car happened to be packed with a lot of stuff and not once did you mention you planned on taking a long trip." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kurt stand up and saw him take a step towards her. She turned the knob as fast as she could to open the door but Kurt was faster and had her pinned.

"You're not going anywhere." He growled in her ear. Penny closed her eyes and whipped her head back, knocking into his face. He was distracted enough for her to turn around and kick him in his special place. Kurt fell to the floor in pain allowing Penny to escape. She ran for her car once she was out of the building and punched the gas petal once she got on the main road. Her hands were shaking as she turned the wheel and found herself at the Pasadena police station. She took out her phone and looked for Bernadette's number. She didn't answer but Penny figured she might as well get it over with and then head over to Bernadette's apartment.

On wobbly legs she went inside and found the Chief. "Are you alright Miss?" he noticed how weak she looked and helped her over into a chair.

"No, no, I can't stay long. I just…wanted to know if I-I can file a restraining order against my-my…my boyfriend as quickly as p-p-possible." Her whole body was one big vibrating mess.

"What kind of order are you looking to get?" he asked.

Not trusting her own voice, she lifted up her shirt. There on her abdomen and sides were large and small bruises. She then showed the Chief her arms and legs and finally her back. She also mentioned she had doctor receipts from when she went in for broken bones. Seeing her distress the Chief gave her what she needed and promised to phone a judge right away.

Bernadette was relieved and worried when she opened her door to see Penny. She made coffee for both of them while Penny told her what happened and how unsure she is about her next move.

"You did the right thing Penny and you know you're welcome to stay here." Bernadette said with a smile.

"Thanks but I really need to find someplace soon. I can't put you in danger either." Penny did worry about Kurt finding out where Bernadette lived and hurting the woman who had become a good friend to Penny. She would rather Kurt kill her than see Bernadette hurt in any way possible.

"Then maybe you'll be glad when you hear this." Bernadette set her coffee mug on the table and handed her a newspaper clipping of a vacancy at 2311 Los Robles apartment complex.

"A cute guy at the restaurant told me about an apartment opening up across the hall from his friends and no one has called dibs on it yet." She said happily.

Anywhere at the moment seemed great for Penny. It was even luckier that the apartment was one bedroom. "This sounds perfect. I'll call right now." Penny dug out her phone from her purse next to the couch and waited for someone to answer.

No one had been interested yet as the place was vacated just yesterday. Penny told the supervisor she would take it even though she hadn't seen it. She didn't care really. It was across town, only a twenty minute drive from work, and tenants minded their own business. The place was perfect. Although the supervisor seemed hesitant to give the apartment to her he told her she could move in at the earliest convenience.

"I have my own place." She said to no one in particular when she hung up. "I finally have my own place!" she wrapped her arms around Bernadette and for the first time since they have known each other, Bernadette saw Penny's toothpaste commercial worthy smile.

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**Thank you for those who reviewed and all the alerts it was wonderful to see them.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**


	3. Gotta Keep Moving On

Chapter 3: Gotta Keep Moving On

Three bags filled with clothes, a suitcase full of shoes, beanie babies, care bears, photographs of family in a huge garbage bag, an old sleeping bag and a pillow were all Penny had as she spent her first night in her new apartment. Bernadette offered her home again but Penny needed to see what the place would feel like. Besides Bernadette had already done enough for her as it was; she couldn't rely on her for everything.

Penny stared up at the ceiling of her new bedroom. She still couldn't shake off the feeling of Kurt barging in at any second. Continually she had to remind herself he was across town and didn't know where she was. Not even when she dropped off the restraining order papers. Instead she had the police station address on there. She hoped she could keep her whereabouts as classified as possible. Penny let out a breath and closed her eyes, hoping to get some sleep.

Until she heard the door open.

She sat up in bed, waiting to hear footsteps. But she heard nothing except silence. Penny went to lie back down when she heard another noise. Unzipping her sleeping bag she stepped onto the cold hardwood floor, tip toeing into the living room. Penny leaned forward and looked around but saw nothing. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in and turned to go back to bed when suddenly she was grabbed from behind. She screamed but a hand clamped down on her mouth. "You know what happens when you scream Penny." growled a low, dangerous voice. Again she screamed but the sound was muffled by the meaty hand. She kicked her legs as hard as she could, her instincts yelling at her to run. He laughed at her meager attempt to escape then dragged her to the nearly empty living room.

Penny felt her body collide with the floor and felt every limb become motionless. Her eyes widened in terror as the figure towered over her. The figure then kneeled down beside her, letting his hand stroke her cheek before following a path to the hem of her shorts. Penny opened her mouth to scream but no voice came out. Once more she tried and was met with the same results. The body above leaned over as the hand dipped into her panties.

"Be a good girl and this will all end quickly." he growled.

"NO!" she yelled once she felt a finger just about to enter.

Her scream reverberated throughout the apartment as she sat up in her sleeping bag. Once she stopped her breathing became shallow and rapid. Penny placed a hand over hear heart, closing her eyes, trying to remember what Bernadette taught her. Slowly she began to relax until the panic sensation disappeared completely. Penny reached for one of her care bears and snuggled into her sleeping bag, tightening it around her. After that dream she found it hard to relax. Kurt was now taking her over in every way possible. Would there ever be a pint where she could be rid of his power forever? She was tired of fear, it was all she felt for the last four years. Was some semblance of safety and peace too much to ask for?

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"Bernadette where did you get these?" asked Penny as she held up one of her new wine glasses.

"They were going to be the wedding present for a friend of mine. But then he came out to his fiancée, called off the wedding, and went on his honeymoon with his boyfriend."

Penny glanced at Bernadette then the wine glasses and silently thanked the guy and his partner. She took the glasses to her kitchen and placed them in the cabinet. Her first dishes. Penny couldn't help but smile at the sight and went back to see what else Bernadette brought with her.

"You really didn't have to do all this." She picked up a picture frame that held an intricate art design. It consisted of swirls of primary colors blended together to create an abstract image. Penny wasn't sure if she was seeing a skunk or a dog. She never understood art but she could appreciate the passion that went into it.

"A lot of this stuff has been in my apartment for a while," explained Bernadette. "I figured this would help you get started and make your place seem less empty."

Penny became overwhelmed with emotion. She had never had a friend like Bernadette before. In high school she would have turned the other cheek at the small woman in front of her. They would not have said two words to each other but here she was: trying to escape an abusive relationship with her main support system being someone she never thought would be there for her. Penny embraced Bernadette, squeezing her tightly, just hoping her friend could see how her help has been appreciated. Unfortunately Bernadette had to work the lunch shift today, which meant Penny would have to be alone. Although Penny wasn't too keen on the idea, she left the door open so she would be able to know if someone wasn't supposed to be here.

As she stared down at the things Bernadette brought she heard voices coming up the stairwell. They were muttering something about comic books when she looked out of the corner of her eye and saw them pause in front of the door across the hall.

"New neighbor?" asked the one with glasses.

Something about these guys seemed familiar and it wasn't until the other talked about the last tenant of the apartment that she looked up. It was the annoying guy from the restaurant! They were her new neighbors? The tall one looked down at his feel while the other fixed his glasses unsure of what to do.

Might as well break the ice she thought. "Hi."

This set off both of them repeating the greeting twice before leading into an awkward pause.

"Hi?" her voice held her uncertainty about these new neighbors.

"I'm Leonard this is Sheldon," the one with glasses introduced with a shy smile. "We live across the hall."

Her mind went to Bernadette's story. Could these two be the guys she was referring to? "Oh that's nice." It was a nice change to not have to worry about being hit on by men. Although she felt bad since they were both kind of cute.

"No! No, no, we live together but in different heterosexual bedrooms." Leonard explained.

Penny wasn't sure if she should feel relief or disappointment and instead nodded her head in understanding. Her eyes darted to the bag in Leonard's hand that read Mumbai Palace and her stomach growled loudly. Her hands covered her midsection and mumbled a quiet apology. Truth be told she hadn't eaten since the day before when she was working. Other things have taken up her time and attention. "Do you want to join us for lunch?" Leonard's voice was barely above a whisper; she was shocked she caught it.

"You're inviting me over to eat?" she had to be sure. Leonard nodded while Sheldon looked mortified. "Thanks. I'd love to." She grabbed her phone from inside and closed her door, following the two boys across the hall. "Just make yourself at home." Leonard told her. Penny looked over to him and smiled, giving her thanks. She took a glance around the living room and noticed how many white boards there were. Each board had drawings and squiggles that reminded Penny of something in an alien movie. With that thought she hoped she hadn't stumbled into a lair where the two men will try to dissect her brain to bring back to the Mothership.

The board propped up in the middle of the room caught her attention. She stood in front of it and followed each number and pattern wondering what it meant and what it led to. "Hey Leonard," she called out not taking her eyes off the board. "Did you do all this?"

"Actually that's my work." Penny turned around and saw Sheldon walking over.

He was the mind behind all this? Wow.

"It's just some quantum mechanics with a little string theory doodling around the edges. This here is a joke it's a spoof of the Borne-Oppenheimer Approximation." He said while pointing to the bottom of the board. Penny was beyond impressed. She had never met anyone this smart before. Sure in her high school she had those few ones that went off to Ivy League colleges but it seemed inconsequential compared to what she was seeing.

"So you're like one of those beautiful mind genius guys?" she asked with a smile on her face. Penny could see the appreciation in his eyes and a shy smile of his own hanging on his lips. "Yeah." Sheldon spoke in a hushed tone. Her pulse raced faster. Who thought he could be quite a cutie? Penny couldn't think any further on the subject when Leonard diverted her attention to his personal white board. Oh man, she thought, two geniuses? What were the odds of her moving to the nerd section of Pasadena?

Sheldon and Leonard started squabbling back and forth about Leonard's equations; her hunger overtook her and she decided to start. As she reached over to open one of the containers Sheldon spoke up. "Penny, that's where I sit."

She looked down at the cushion she was sitting on and then back at him. Was he serious?

Apparently he was and began to name the reasons why that was his spot. While he wasn't screaming, Penny thought back to when she would do things in the apartment that Kurt would scold her for, which was the beginning of a beating for her. Fear began to build and she meekly asked if he wanted her to move. Before Sheldon could answer, Leonard barked at his roommate to find a different seat. Instinctively Penny's heart rate increased and she could feel a panic attack coming on. She reached out with shaky hands to the food in front of her as Sheldon finally found a place on the other side of the couch.

"Penny are you alright?" She looked at Leonard who motioned to her hands.

"Yeah I'm okay…just a little cold I guess." A lame excuse considering the long sleeve shirt and jeans she was currently wearing but it was the first thing she thought of.

"I don't see why you are cold considering the temperature in the apartment has remained constant as per standard in the Roommate Agreement." Sheldon commented.

A roommate agreement? Penny looked at Leonard. "You really signed an agreement?"

"It wasn't by choice, believe me." he defended.

Maybe an agreement wouldn't have been such a bad thing with Kurt she thought. Well she had a restraining order in the process which was kind of like an agreement. However she doubted Kurt would actually adhere to it. He liked being able to do what he wanted even when there were rules. Penny may have been a bit of a wild child but Kurt was ten times worse.

"That's enough about us why don't you tell us about you."

"Me? Uh-okay. Um I am from Omaha and I work at the Cheesecake Factory as a waitress..."

"You're the mean waitress!" Sheldon cut her off. Oh so he did remember her.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was having a bad day." She blushed and pushed her hair behind her ear. "I-uh wanted to be an actress for a while but…now I'm not so sure… and I guess that's it."

She didn't feel comfortable mentioning her life to strangers especially with this thing with Kurt going on. Unconsciously she pulled down her shirt to make sure none of her bruises were showing. It was tough not being able to wear her cute clothes due to them exposing skin that held evidence of what she went through. Now her wardrobe was baggy clothing that covered everything, even in the warm weather and those days were more often than not. Just a little more time she reminded herself.

"Do you…you know…are you-you seeing…uh" Penny looked at Leonard who was absolutely tongue tied but Sheldon swooped in to save the situation.

"Leonard I believe you may want to articulate your question before asking Penny if she is seeing someone so you don't look as if you had just swallowed ten war heads."

Penny stifled a laugh while Leonard looked at anywhere but her. She felt bad for the guy. He probably didn't get that lucky when it came to women and by what she noticed so far, he was like her and just wanted to find someone who would care for him. She smiled warmly at Leonard. "No I'm not seeing anyone at the moment but I just got out of a four year relationship so I need my space for a while." she explained.

"Oh yeah of course that's understandable. I mean who wouldn't need their space after such a long relationship?" He laughed nervously and stuffed his mouth with food.

No one said anything for a few minutes until Leonard got up and offered Penny a water bottle. When he walked back, she reached forward to take it and heard Sheldon make a comment.

"You have a very large bruise on your back Penny. You may want to ice that so it heals faster."

Penny dropped the water bottle and stood up rather quickly. "I'm sorry I need to go."

She made her way to the door but Leonard stopped her observing that she hadn't eaten anything. However the knots in her stomach made it impossible for her to think about food at the moment.

"I'll make it up to you guys I promise. Thanks again." She waved and walked back to her apartment. Immediately she went to her make-up bag and pulled out the concealer. She hated doing this now that she no longer had the necessity to but if that meant people wouldn't ask questions then she was all for it.

She was in the middle of getting the one on her back completely covered up when she heard a knock that the door followed by her name. She hurried to the front door and opened it on the third round of knocking but before she could say anything, Sheldon let out one last "Penny" before looking down at his feet. He was one strange man she thought.

"Penny it is my understanding that I have upset you enough for you to find sanctuary in your apartment and although I do not know what I have done exactly I do apologize for it." Sheldon seemed to have a hard time admitting this and Penny told him he didn't do anything, she just needed to finish getting things together. Sheldon looked relieved and then looked into the empty apartment. He would have thought she had more stuff than what he saw.

"Is that all Sheldon?" she wanted to finish covering up her bruises.

He opened his mouth to say something but decided not to say whatever it was. "Yes that is all. Goodbye Penny."

"Bye Sheldon." She closed the door and bolted it shut before hurrying back to the bathroom. Sheldon stood looking at the door before going back to the open door of 4A.

"That was odd, don't you think?" asked Leonard.

"What was odd?" Sheldon looked confused but Leonard just shook his head and went back inside while Sheldon closed the door, pausing a minute to look at 4B before closing it all the way.

* * *

**I love your reviews and I hope you like this chapter. I wasn't sure how to feel about it but I had to introduce the boys somehow and it is kind of a filler chapter but there will be more Sheldon and Penny moments to come.**


	4. I Need A Hero

Chapter 4: I Need a Hero

Penny was exhausted.

It had been a week since she had last hung out with Sheldon and Leonard, or seen them at all for that matter. However she feels the new couch and coffee table she found was completely worth it. Today, though, she was ready to get off her feet and lie down after her long shift at work. Penny entered the building and stops short when she sees Sheldon at the mailbox. His back was turned to her reaching into the mailbox and she couldn't help but notice the flexing of his broad shoulders. Quickly shaking her head of those thoughts she walked over to her own mailbox.

"Hey Sheldon." She tried to say as enthusiastically as possible.

"Hello Penny."

There is silence as she sorts through her mail but Sheldon is quick to point out the large manila envelope on the desk that was addressed to her.

"Penny I believe you missed one." She picked it up and saw it was from the Pasadena police station. She flipped it over hoping Sheldon hadn't seen who sent it.

"Thank you Sheldon." Penny turned to walk up the stairs but Sheldon followed.

"Penny, although I don't like to delve into other people's personal lives, I noticed your envelope was from the police force and I must tell you I don't feel comfortable living across the hall from a felon."

The waitress stops short on the second floor and Sheldon walks ahead before turning back to look at her. "I'm not a felon and even if I was, I wouldn't hurt you or Leonard after how nice you've been to me. They're just…" Could she even tell him what she held in her hands? She was worried about what he would think and that made her confused. Why would she care what he thought of her? And why did his reaction matter so much?

"They're restraining order papers." she mumbled as she made her way up the stairs but Sheldon's Vulcan hearing picked it up.

"Should I be worried about someone coming into the building and killing me with a knife or gun while I lie in my bed? If so I believe we should talk with the building manager and explain-"

"Sheldon, no!" The man jumped at her raised voice and looked at her noticing she had worry in her eyes. Mostly because she didn't want to worry him about something that doesn't concern him whatsoever, and partly because she didn't want anyone else involved. It was hard enough to admit what the papers were to Sheldon.

"I'm sorry about the yelling but you have nothing to worry about. If anyone is going to end up dead in the situation it will most likely be me."

"Why would someone want to kill you?" He was genuinely confused. Even though he had just met Penny she didn't seem like a threat to anyone. If anything she needed the protecting after the behavior she displayed a week ago. Sheldon knew something was off with Penny and he had a hunch that she had experienced recent abuse. However Sheldon had no inclination to ask Penny about her life and quite frankly he wasn't interested. Oddly enough Sheldon found that statement to himself a bit false but he would never admit that to anyone.

Penny wasn't sure what to tell the man in front of her. She had the urge to tell him everything she went through and the pain of the process she is going through currently and it terrified her. Telling Bernadette was difficult yet somehow with Sheldon, the crazy neighbor she had just recently met, she felt like saying everything to him would be like slicing a knife through softened butter; extremely easy. Instead she reined her emotions in and thought of someway to say something slightly true.

"My ex-boyfriend wasn't too happy when I broke up with him. He became threatening and so I just needed to find a way for him to leave me alone." That works, she thought.

Sheldon nods his head but says nothing more on the subject. They reach the fourth floor landing and they hear a bunch of shouting coming from Sheldon's apartment.

"Raj you have one on your tail!" shouted Leonard.

"Ah! He's got me!" replied a high pitched voice with a heavy Indian accent. I guess that is Raj, Penny laughed silently to herself.

Sheldon opened the door and Penny found Leonard on the floor, with one guy sitting on the middle cushion of the couch to his right and another sitting in a wooden chair on his left. All three men were pounding their computer keys as if their lives depended on it. Sheldon moved over to his desk and set down his messenger bag before breaking out his laptop. As much as he wanted to join in the quest, he still had a few things to get done before dinner time. Penny was left to stand and watch the men until Leonard looked up and gave her a smile. He presses a key on his computer and stands up while taking his headphones off.

"What are you guys playing?"

"Oh it's just some online multi-player game, no big deal," Leonard said with an embarrassed laugh. "How has the move been going?"

"Not too bad I guess. I still need some other furniture and what not." Penny looked to the side and saw the other two men standing up staring at her. The one with the fluorescent yellow shirt and skinny jeans that would make her look fat strolled over, trying to look smooth, though Penny thought he was just a little creepy.

"Howard Wolowitz my lady," he said with a bow. "You've probably seen my work it's currently hovering above earth on the international space station."

"I'm Penny. I work at the Cheesecake Factory." she gave him a small smile and then looked at Raj who refused to look her in the eyes. Leonard took his cue to save the poor man.

"This is Raj. He's an astrophysicist at Caltech with us."

"Does he not speak English?" she asked worriedly. She wasn't sure how to communicate with him if he couldn't understand what she was saying.

"He can speak he just can't speak to women." Howard interjected.

"Why not?"

"Because he's kind of a nerd." Penny looked at Howard who laughed at his own jibe before turning to back to Leonard. The man gave her a sympathetic look and decided to put her at ease. At least for a little bit.

"Penny would you like to join us for dinner? It's pizza night tonight."

"Oh sure, thanks. How much do I owe?" she reached into her purse to bring out her wallet. She didn't have much but hopefully he can let her pay him when she can.

"Don't worry it's my treat."

Penny smiled at Leonard in gratitude until Sheldon spoke up about how Leonard will be late in picking up the pizza as it is nearly seven o'clock. Leonard rolled his eyes at his roommate and told Penny to make herself at home before heading out the door. Penny saw Raj keep to the other side of the couch, while Howard kept smiling at her. She looked over at Sheldon working on his laptop and wished he would come over to the couch and sit next to her. So she did the next big thing she could think of.

"Sheldon? May I please sit in your spot?"

Three heads turned to her at once but she only looked at Sheldon. He looked flabbergasted that anyone would even ASK if they could sit in his spot. His buttocks may not being occupying it at the moment but that didn't mean anyone else could occupy it either. However it was the first time someone had asked for permission to sit in his spot and if he was being honest with himself, he found it rather touching. It was pleasant to know someone cared about things of his. He was so lost in what just happened that he didn't notice how she began to shrink back into herself, as if she had done something wrong. Sheldon finally snapped out of it and looked at Penny.

"Very well. You may sit in my spot but I require it back when Leonard arrives with the pizza." Sheldon turns his chair around to face his computer and finish what he was typing.

Raj and Howard's jaws dropped as she made her way to Sheldon's spot and sat down on the cushion. Penny suddenly felt very relaxed and leaned back. Sheldon was right about this spot, it was definitely the most preferable spot in the room but what caught her off guard was how much she enjoyed sitting on something Sheldon had claim over. Sitting in a guy's spot shouldn't bring her this much enjoyment but it did and she had a feeling it had more to do with the man who occupied the space frequently than the actual spot on the couch. Raj moved off of the couch and went over to Howard and whispered in his ear.

"Beats the hell out of me." Howard said out loud.

Fifteen minutes passed from when Leonard left and came back. He was also surprised to see Penny sitting in Sheldon's spot. Howard motioned over to the kitchen planning on filling him in on what happened during his absence. Sheldon got up from his desk and Penny immediately moved over to the middle cushion. The pizza box was settled down on the coffee table and people helped themselves while Leonard retrieved a drink from the fridge.

"Thank you for letting me sit in your spot." Sheldon looked at Penny, once more surprised at her.

"You're welcome." He watched her for a few moments before taking his own plate and placing two pieces on his plate. Penny helped herself too and nibbled on her first piece. It had been a while since she had a decent slice of pizza.

"So Penny has anyone ever told you that you are a beautiful blonde goddess that could rival Aphrodite?" Howard said with a smirk on his face.

Penny felt an uncomfortable twitch in her stomach and instinctively moved towards Sheldon. "No Howard…I haven't."

"Get used to it." He winked.

Sheldon felt her thigh touch his and jumped a little bit. He was not used to people being this close or even touching him at all. However he was surprised to find that he didn't really mind her being that close. He was grateful when Leonard brought up a different subject that interested him and, as he saw out of the corner of his eye, made Penny relax more now that attention was diverted from her.

Penny had never watched Star Trek in her life and was content to let the boys drone on about it. When Sheldon interjected during the conversation she watched his jaw move up in down quickly as he spouted off facts to the boys. Her eyes then moved from his jaw to his cheekbones then his crystal clear blue eyes. She could see how passionate he was about what he was talking about due to the little twinkle they held. Penny looked away from his face to his torso. Although the t-shirt and thermal did little to showcase his body, she saw he was very broad in his shoulders and was curious as to what he was hiding underneath his clothes. The thought made her blush but her redness grew deeper when he caught her looking. Her attention returned to her food and he stood up to go to the kitchen. Sheldon came back, placing a diet coke in front of her before opening his own beverage.

She turned to him with a smile. "Thank you."

He nodded and brought everyone's attention away from them and back to what they were discussing.

Around eight-thirty, the boys started to throw away their garbage and head out for late night bowling.

"It's Anything Can Happen Thursday and since bowling is an activity Sheldon approves of we decided to go to midnight bowling," Leonard explained to a confused looking Penny. "Would you want to come with us?"

Penny liked bowling and was pretty decent at it but she wasn't in the mood to go out. The manila envelope she left placed in her purse was also calling her name, begging her to open it. At the same time she wanted to not think about what was going on in her life for once. She deserved to have some fun out of all this chaos.

Oh what the hell, she thought.

"Yeah it sounds like fun."

* * *

Normally when they went bowling the boys would split up into two teams of two but since Penny had come along, they decided to use only one lane. Due to Sheldon's southern upbringing he insisted that Penny be up first as is custom when a lady is present. The blonde retrieved a pink ball and sent it down the lane. The crash of the pins reverberated throughout the alley with none of them surviving the impact of the ball. The boys applauded her and she did a little curtsy. Unfortunately she also gained the attention of other male bowlers.

Sheldon was up next. She watched as a look of concentration crossed his face when a guy came up from behind her seat and began to chat her up.

"Why don't you ditch your friends and come join my team? I could even show you a few pointers." The guy wiggled his eyebrows.

Penny tried to give a nice smile but it came out as more of a grimace. "No thank you I'm fine here with my friends."

"Come on sweetheart. You should be with someone who could show you a good time."

He reached out to stroke her face causing Penny to jump out of her seat and stumble into someone's chest. She looked over her shoulder and saw Sheldon was behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and stared down at the man who wouldn't leave.

"I believe the lady said she wasn't interested in whatever request you have given. Now if you would be so kind as to leave so she can enjoy the rest of her game." He sat Penny back down in a seat away from the guy before occupying the one next to her. The guy shook his head and went back to his group. Sheldon looked at Penny who seemed catatonic. He nudged her a little bit and saw that she was coming around. Her hand found his and gave it a squeeze. Sheldon's body froze at the gesture and a little nagging sensation in the bag of his mind wished she would do it once more.

"Penny you're up!" spoke Leonard. This made her snap out completely. She looked at Sheldon and smiled. Before he knew what was happening, Penny kissed his cheek so quickly he was sure the Flash would be jealous by her speed.

Penny stayed next to Sheldon until they had played two games and Howard needed to get home to help his mother. When the occupants of the South Robles apartment building returned, Penny and Sheldon let Leonard go first as they hung back and walked side by side up the stairs. They reached the fourth floor landing and went to their respective doors.

"Good night Penny." She turned and gave Leonard a smile.

"Night Leonard. Thanks for inviting me tonight."

She pretend to unlock her door and when she glanced back to see Leonard had entered the apartment she called out for Sheldon. The man looked at her and she closed the distance between them. She raised herself on her tip toes and gave him a light peck on the lips.

"Thank you for saving me tonight."

Sheldon could only nod and scurried into his apartment.

Penny entered her own place and sat on her new blue couch. She glanced at the envelope that was still in her purse and figured she might as well get it over with. Penny reached over to grab it and held it in her shaking hands before turning it over and opening the seal. She perused its contents and couldn't believe what she saw.

Kurt was contesting the restraining order.

She had two weeks before the court date to make her case. Penny knew she didn't have enough money to hire a lawyer to help her out and she wasn't about to face Kurt without something in her arsenal. Penny stood up from the couch and went into her kitchen to look at her calendar. Hopefully Bernadette wasn't working that day and would be willing to tag along for emotional support. However in the back of her mind Penny wished that was the case because maybe a certain physicist would accompany her instead. She leaned against the island in her kitchen and placed her hand underneath her chin.

Somehow she felt safer with Sheldon around. It confused her about why though since the guy looked like he couldn't take on the smallest insect let alone her testosterone driven ex-boyfriend. Still she needed his presence; a desire she noticed was growing each time she looked at him. All these thoughts brought on a sudden headache and decided it was time for bed.

Across the hall, unbeknownst to her, Sheldon paused in the middle of brushing his teeth as his brain processed what happened tonight. He had never felt such a strong desire to protect in his life, especially someone he just met and more importantly someone who was a female that he wasn't related to.

* * *

**I know it was a long wait but I hope this chapter makes up for it. **

**Thank you for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites. It really gives me confidence as a writer and in this story :)**

**Enjoy and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can!**


	5. One Step at a Time

Chapter 5: One Step at a Time

It was Saturday night and Sheldon Cooper was separating his dirty clothes to get ready for his weekly laundry night at 8:15.

Sheldon liked having a routine. Everything made sense when uniformity was involved and that was how he lived his life. Change was something he tried to make adapt for him instead of the other way around. However that wasn't the case with Penny. If anything, he felt like he had to accommodate her and that was not acceptable.

His behavior over the past couple of weeks was not acceptable either. Sheldon never let anyone sit in his spot and nobody asked for permission because they would have found it futile. So why did he relinquish his spot when Penny asked to occupy it? He hadn't figured out an answer and it was starting to eat him from the inside out very slowly. Oh who was he kidding, the woman as a whole was a complete mystery to him. Then again, weren't all women a mystery? He recalled Stephen Hawking mentioning how women still baffled him.

If I'm on the same intelligence level as Stephen Hawking, he thought, what chance is there for me to figure them out?

His Vulcan hearing picked up on voices from outside the door. He knew one of them to be Leonard's and based on the pitch the other was Penny. They were laughing at something. Sheldon seldom heard Penny laugh and now he wished she would stop since it could give a cat a run for its money. Being curious, he opened his bedroom door and walked into the living room just as Leonard was handing Penny back her pink laptop.

"All fixed." Leonard said with a smile.

"Thank you so much. Hey Sheldon." She waved to the man who entered the room.

He nodded back. "Good evening Penny."

"So what are you guys up to tonight? Any big plans?" she asked, hugging the computer to her chest.

"It's laundry night. I am currently separating my whites and colors to pre-soak before I must wash them in exactly," he looked at his watch. "Seventy-eight minutes." Sheldon stood with his hands behind his back and a proud smile on his face.

"Why 8:15?"

"As social convention would dictate, Saturday night tends to be the one night where people with uncontrollable biological urges decide to go out and, as the urban youth would say, 'get crunk'."

He paused as Penny let a giggle escape her lips. She covered her mouth with her hand and told him to continue. Sheldon glared at her for the interruption.

"As I was saying, they are either getting ready or have just left by this time thereby leaving the laundry room vacant. Also I have observed other tenants use the laundry room during the afternoon or early morning to settle in for some television programming thus this time frame allows me to have solitude."

Penny nodded. "Would you mind if I join you? I have sheets I need to wash for my bed."

Sheldon froze. Didn't he just tell the woman in front of him that he enjoyed the solitude of doing his laundry this time of night? Good lord she has the attention span of a gnat, he thought. He looked at her, still waiting for an answer, biting her lower lip and shining green eyes that silently begged for him to relent this one time. Not being able to think of a reason why she couldn't join him he nodded his head.

"Very well but please be prompt."

Without another word Sheldon went back to his room to finish his task and get his mind off of how he again just went against his own code.

* * *

Laundry basket balancing on her waist, Penny opened her door at 8:15 on the dot. Sheldon had just opened his door as well and looked pleased that she had listened to him. Being the gentleman he was taught to be, he motioned for her to go first. They pair descended the stairs in silence until they reached the laundry room and Penny paused at the door.

"Which washers should I use?" She didn't know if he had a favorite washer or dryer. The guy had a designated spot on a couch so it seemed plausible the same could be said for other things he uses.

Sheldon walked over and glanced in her basket quickly before walking back to his own clothing.

"Since your sheets seem to be cotton and you plan on using fabric softener I would suggest the one on the far left."

"Thanks."

Penny went to her washer, placed her fabric softener on the edge and dumped everything into the machine. Sheldon watched with a perplexed look. He didn't understand how some people handled their laundry as if they were a tiger ready to pounce on an unsuspecting antelope. He went back to his own clothes, handling them with care. Penny added a fourth of fabric softener, a trick her mother would do when she was younger to help her sleep. Hopefully it would work its magic tonight. Once the washer started she went over to the folding table and hopped up, swinging her legs back and forth as she watched Sheldon.

"So what do you do while you wait for your laundry?"

"It depends. Most of the time I go over whichever current project I am working on," he carefully measured out the detergent before concisely pouring it over his clothes. "For example I'm trying to reconcile the black hole information paradox by using my approach with string theory condensate."

He glanced at her with a smile on his face. Penny bit her lip. She knew squat about physics or any science for that matter, more because she never found it interesting enough to care. So she had to go with a different approach.

"Do you like playing games? For example, twenty questions?"

"I do enjoy twenty questions. In fact Leonard, Howard, Raj and I play it by thinking of someone who were are then guessing who you are. And seeing as though it would be difficult for you to understand the complexity of my work, I believe twenty questions will be right up your alley."

She pushed away the insult along with the uncomfortable feeling of wanting to cry. Kurt had undermined her intelligence more often than she would want to admit. She wasn't stupid by any means; she was just more street smart than book smart. Penny also had to remind herself that Sheldon wasn't trying to be mean, he was just stating the obvious. The boy didn't know when to not cross the line.

"Okay how about you go first?" she offered.

"Alright." Sheldon paused to think of what he wanted her to guess before allowing her to begin.

By question fifteen Penny knew she wouldn't be able to guess whatever crazy thing he was thinking about.

"That's question twenty, you have to guess."

"Oh God Sheldon, I don't know. Uh…Star Wars?"

He looked stunned that she had guessed wrong. "How can one person be a whole movie?"

She shrugged.

"I was Spock," he shook his head. "I suppose it is your turn."

"Okay….got it. You may start with your questions."

Sheldon did not like the fact that he had the same luck as Penny when it was her turn to guess. Nor did he find it fair that one person can be a whole band. Who was Radiohead anyway? He certainly never heard of them and he partially believed she was making them up. Penny's washer dinged at the end of its cycle and she transferred her sheets to one of the open dryers. It was back to her turn to guess and quite frankly she had a feeling he would choosing something she had no clue about.

"Sheldon I don't know what the heck a Higgs Boson Particle is, how am I supposed to guess that?"

He opened his mouth to retort but closed it quickly. It's not often he was rendered speechless, especially by someone who was uneducated.

"I think I'm done playing this game," He placed his own clothes in an empty dryer. "If you wish to continue talking then I would suggest you leave since I do not care for banal chit chat."

"Oh come on Sheldon, one more round. Please?"

Penny batted her eyes, a trick she hadn't done since she was sixteen with her father. Sheldon only raised an eyebrow at her and wondered if she had some sort of nerve problem in her eyes but he didn't voice it.

"I suppose one more round will be alright." He was ready to be away from this woman already.

Penny knew immediately thought of something good. She motioned for him to begin.

He sighed. "Is it a human?"

"Yes though others would like to think otherwise."

"Does this human live near us?"

"Penny you have to answer yes or no to my question." He scolded.

"Sorry. Yes the human lives near us."

"Is said human male?"

"Yes."

"Hmm…" Sheldon knew a few men this would apply to.

Up on the fifth floor lived Mr. and Mrs. Cranston, though the soon to be ex-Mr. and Mrs. considering Mr. Cranston hadn't been home for the last two months and he has heard Mrs. Cranston jabber on about the inconsiderate bastard and how much she will squeeze out of his lying ass. Then you have Mr. Donaldson, a retired high school teacher that enjoyed playing golf and talking to his parrot on the third floor and finally the elder Mr. Sanchez but he hardly came out of his home because he thinks his home is the safest place to be once the apocalypse occurs. Sheldon highly doubted such a claim and wanted to prove so to Mr. Sanchez but Sheldon didn't care enough to actually go through with it.

However Penny had only been here for a short amount of time and most likely hadn't come into contact with any of said tenants. Therefore the only males she could be thinking of are the ones she already knows: Leonard, Howard, and Raj. Out of the most likely, it would be Leonard considering he lived the closest to her. Still he needed more evidence to support his theory.

"Is it someone I interact with on a daily basis?"

"Oh yeah."

He smirked. "It's Leonard."

She smiled up at him and collected her laundry that had just finished. "Nope."

Sheldon's smirk fell. He was wrong? Sheldon Cooper was never wrong. At least if he was wrong it only happened once every ten years. The last time he was wrong about anything was when he was seventeen and made a miscalculation on a paper; an incident no one let him live down for a while.

"Is it a man from a tropical subcontinent who has trouble speaking to women?"

"No it's not Raj."

She started folding her sheets as Sheldon rattled off more questions.

"What about an engineer that has no doctorate and lives at home with his mother who still cuts his meat?"

"Howard lives with his mother?"

"Penny, even though engineering seems like a profession that holds a lot of potential, I assure you even the Oompa Loompas at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory would be able to do the job," explained Sheldon. "Therefore Howard doesn't have the financial ability to move out. Furthermore if he did I doubt he would be able to considering he depends on his mother and she depends on him."

Penny shrugged but told Sheldon it wasn't Howard either.

"Sheldon could you help me fold this sheet?" she held up her light blue mattress cover.

"Of course I could." However he didn't make a move towards her.

She sighed. "Will you help me fold this sheet?"

"Why didn't you ask that before? It could have saved you a lot of trouble."

Penny rolled her eyes as he took the other corners and folded them together. Once the newly folded sheet was straightened out Sheldon walked over to match his end with Penny's. As she went to take the corners, his fingers lightly grazed hers. Sheldon immediately pulled away, as if she has somehow just electrocuted him. Hurriedly he picks up the other end and tries to avoid her fingers this time around but once more they both feel that soft butterfly touch.

She thanks him for his help and he moves to get his own laundry, keeping at least three feet between them.

"You still have a few more questions to ask." Penny reminded him.

"I no longer wish to play Penny and though I dislike admitting defeat, I will let you be victor by forfeiting."

He started folding his own laundry and she just stared at him. However after a few minutes she noticed that he wouldn't pick up the conversation. Penny decided she didn't need to fold the rest of her sheets and collected her basket. She had just left the room when Sheldon called out to her.

"I believe game rules dictate you must tell me the answer even though I threw in the metaphoric towel."

Penny gave him a small smile.

"It was you Sheldon."

It nearly escaped her but she saw a twitch in his face and he seemed to go stiff as a statue. She gave him a small wave before heading upstairs.

* * *

Penny always liked Sundays. They were the last day for relaxation before the work week and it reminded her of being a young child, waking up late morning while she smelled bacon being cooked by her father. Depending on how she felt, she would stroll around the farm, ride one of the horses, or lie in bed for most of the day.

Today, for the first time in a while, she didn't feel like staying in bed. She felt content and wanted to move around. Climbing out of bed she reached for her iPod on her dresser and placed it in the dock of her iHome alarm clock. She scrolled through her music and decided some Shania Twain would kick off this splendid day. With the volume up at an earth shattering level she started dancing to the lyrics.

"I'm going out tonight, I'm feeling alright. Gonna let it all hang oouuut…" she sang.

Her hips swayed to the music as she made her way to the kitchen to pour herself a bowl of cereal. Penny couldn't remember the last time she went out dancing with friends or just around the house. Kurt hated music that wasn't dubstep or rap nor was he fond of letting her go out to clubs where guys would sniff at "his" property. Now she was in her own home, able to do what she wanted and she decided to dance in her tank top and booty shorts.

She finished placing the milk back in her nearly empty fridge and stood up to see Leonard and Sheldon standing in the open door way. She must have not heard the knocking over the music. She held up her index finger and rushed to her bedroom to turn off the music. She came back out with her robe pulled tightly around her body.

"Sorry guys. Didn't hear ya." she blushed.

Sheldon commented, "We thought someone was being mauled or hosting a feminist rally."

Penny ignored the comment and went back to her cereal. "What's up?"

"We were thinking of going to a movie. Do you want to join us?" asked Leonard.

"Sure. Give me an hour and I'll come over."

Leonard nodded and ushered Sheldon out before he could rant more about her choice in music.

* * *

Although Penny wasn't a huge superhero fan, she had to admit seeing Robert Downey Jr. being the badass he is as Ironman was worth it. She looked over at Sheldon who looked happy as a clam with his redvines, popcorn, and Icee while Leonard on her right kept glancing at her a few times. She settled back in her seat when she heard a giggle. At first she ignored it until she heard it again. Sheldon looked behind him to see what was causing such an annoying noise as did Penny and her heart stopped when she saw Kurt.

His lips kept kissing his date's neck while his eyes stared at her. He then moved away to give her a smirk.

This had to be a dream, she thought.

She closed her eyes and pinched her arm before turning around but he was still there and still smirking at her. Penny could feel the panic creeping in. The dark theater began to grow darker and darker, the light of the movie losing its luminescence. Her breathing increased and Sheldon looked over at her, his hearing picking up on the changing pace.

"Sorry guys I have to go." It was a whisper as she moved past Sheldon and ran out of the theater and straight for the bathroom where she remained for the rest of the movie.

When she exited her temporary sanctuary she looked around the passing crowd for the boys. She was startled by hands grabbing hold of her hips. Penny whipped around and came face to face with Kurt who was backing her into a corner.

"Hey sweetheart," his voice was soft and tender. It terrified her as he would use that voice after he gave her a good wallop and she refused to fall for it again. "I've missed you."

"Get away from me."

"Come on Penny. I want you back home with me; it's been hell without you around."

"Then take your date home and slap her around." she spat.

Her back collided with a wall as he brought his body closer to hers. "You know you miss me…miss us."

Kurt leaned in but Penny quickly ducked under the arm that tried to encase her in the spot. She noticed a red flash shirt walking towards the exit and ran towards it. Penny slammed into the body and fell on her butt. Sheldon turned around to scold her but stopped when she scrambled to stand up and get behind him. He looked from Penny and then in the direction she just came from. He saw a large meathead smirking his way before grabbing a tall brunette woman and walking away.

Penny didn't speak to anyone on the way home and instead watched as Pasadena passed by in a blur. Sheldon kept glancing at her through the mirror until they arrived at the apartment complex and parted ways. Penny moved through her nightly routine like a zombie. She was in the bathroom brushing her teeth as if on autopilot when she was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts by Sheldon's triple knock reverberating throughout the living room. Quickly washing out the paste in her mouth she hurried to the door and opened it to see Sheldon holding her purse.

"You left it in the car."

"Thank you Sheldon. That was very sweet of you."

"Yes well, goodnight Penny."

He turned to head back into his apartment when Penny stopped him.

"I have to go to a court hearing the Friday after next for the restraining order. Bernadette has to work and I was wondering….would you…please…come with me?"

She bit her lip as he remained silent and started rocking on the balls of her feet.

"I would have to see if I am free that Friday. When I know of my availability I will tell you."

"Okay….thank you."

He nodded. "Goodnight Penny."

Sheldon disappeared into 4A, the door shutting behind him as Penny stood there staring for a few minutes before making her way into bed.

* * *

**Yeah I know I suck with updating but the new chapter is here and I have the next chapter in progress. I'll be in Florida so maybe some beach time will inspire me. **

**Btw, I saw Harvey last week and Jim was AMAZING! If you're able to get to NYC and see it you will not be disappointed; it is a two hours well spent.**

**Anyway enjoy!**


	6. Cast Your Fears Aside

Chapter 6: Cast Your Fears Aside

When it came to his work, Sheldon was always focused. He always prided himself on being a man of science and not falling victim to his primitive biological urges like his friends. Nothing could deter him from discovering the answers the universe held. Nothing except the timid, beautiful neighbor girl who seemed to be growing attached to him.

Sheldon had his own attachments growing up, especially to his mother and Meemaw. However these attachments were to those related by familial blood. Searching through his eidetic memory he couldn't even think of a time where he had an attachment to someone who wasn't related to him. The whole concept baffled him and still does. Although since Penny moved in he began to see perhaps there are some things family attachments can't achieve otherwise she wouldn't be near him as often as she was. As to what this was, he couldn't quite grasp it.

Furthermore he couldn't understand the need to protect the woman whenever she looked ready to fall apart. The only logical explanation had to be one too many superhero comic books and movies. It's not that Sheldon didn't like to think of himself as a superhero but not for fragile blonde women; for mankind and his intelligence was his super power. He had a plan for his life and he wanted to maintain that path.

It worked well for him so far.

He couldn't afford distractions.

Looking at his planner, Sheldon noticed he didn't have anything big planned for that day and he was taught that when a lady asks for an escort, he is supposed to accept. Sheldon was not one to break the rules of etiquette but at the same time he was not willing to break his routine.

Sheldon wrestled with what he would tell Penny all day up until she joined them in their apartment for takeout that night. With a small smile on her face she sat down in the armchair on Sheldon's left. He was focused on his Pad Thai while blocking out Leonard trying to impress Penny with what he was working on currently. Sheldon doubted Penny would be impressed due to the fact she had no comprehension of what his work consisted of.

"Do you have an answer to my question?"

The voice startled him out of his thoughts and he nearly started choking on his food. After coughing a few times he finally calmed down and looked over at Leonard in the kitchen getting a beverage then returning his gaze to Penny who was giving him an apologetic look.

He cleared his throat. "Yes I do."

She waited patiently while he just looked at her. He knew what he wanted to say and although he didn't like being on the spot, he finally came to a decision.

"Unfortunately I have something going on that day and will not be able to go with you."

The hurt look that appeared on Penny's face bothered Sheldon more than he cared to admit. Then again his answer surprised him as well. However, he thought, maybe it was for the best.

"Okay…thank you…yeah." Penny returned to her food but her appetite diminished.

The door to 4A opened with Howard dragging Bernadette inside and Raj bringing up the rear. Penny looked over at her friend who gave her a small shrug. Penny was glad Howard's attention was finally elsewhere and Bernadette got what she had been talking about for a while. She motioned towards the kitchen and got up from her seat. Bernadette let go of Howard's hand and followed her friend to the kitchen island.

"So did you find anyone else to go with you?" she asked in a whisper.

Penny reached in to the fridge and handed her friend a water bottle. "Not yet."

"Why not ask Leonard? I'm sure he would be more than willing to go."

Both women turned to look at Leonard who was currently laughing at something one of the guys said. Penny's eyes quickly glanced over at Sheldon who was picking at his food. Did she do something to make him say no?

Probably, she thought.

Kurt always told her often that she couldn't do anything right.

"Penny."

She came back to earth to see Bernadette motioning towards Leonard coming their way. She left before he reached them and took a seat next to Howard.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"Yeah I'm fine. What's up?"

"Uh, Bernadette told me you needed some support at a court hearing and I would, you know, be glad to take you and, you know, act as emotional support." He twisted his hands together nervously and looked down at his feet before gathering courage to look back at Penny.

Penny liked Leonard. He was probably one of the nicest guys she has ever met in her life. Nevertheless she was serious when she told him she didn't want a relationship at the moment and she didn't want to lead him on because she could tell he was eager to be more than friends. Still could she see herself with him in the future when all this chaos has left her life?

No, her mind immediately shouted at her.

She didn't want Leonard like that but for now it would be nice to have a friend there beside her when she had to confront Kurt again.

"Sure. That would be very sweet of you Leonard, thank you."

Penny gave him a small smile and quick kiss on the cheek. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Sheldon staring at the two of them before returning to his hardly touched dinner. She made her way back to her seat and tried to avoid both Leonard and Sheldon's discreet glances.

* * *

The following day Penny had both the lunch and dinner shift. Of course that meant complete suicide but the money was good and the tips were even better. Not to mention the boys were coming tonight and Sheldon requested Penny as their server, not trusting anyone else to handle his food. She didn't understand his ways but when she thought about it maybe it was better that she didn't figure it out.

As she made her way back into the dining room one of the other waitresses stopped her.

"There's a crazy guy here asking for you."

She looked around at the tables until her gaze landed on one near the entrance.

"Sheldon?"

He must have heard her because he looked in her direction. She walked over to him, wiping her suddenly sweaty hands on her skirt.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's lunchtime and this is a restaurant so logic would dictate I came here to eat."

"Okay," she took out her pad and pen. "What can I get you?"

"I was wondering why you asked me to accompany you to court but then kissed Leonard."

Penny blinked a few times. Did Sheldon really just ask that question? More importantly, why did he ask that question?

"Sheldon, are you jealous?" To quote Spock, it's only logical.

"No I'm curious as to why you asked me when you seemed pleased with Leonard instead. Isn't that, as urban youth say, slutty?"

She stumbled back a bit. Did he think she was a slut for accepting Leonard's offer? In her past she had her moments where she would take advantage of any guy who had an interest in her but she never thought of herself as a loose woman. That is until Kurt used her past as an excuse to make his indiscretions seem less harmful. She tried to ignore it thinking she was better than Kurt but if someone else noticed it in her as well, perhaps he was right after all. Sheldon could see struck a cord and opened his mouth to correct himself but she beat him to it.

"Thank you for pointing that out Sheldon. I'm sorry but I have other tables. Someone else will be over in a little."

With that she walked away trying with great difficulty to keep her tears from falling and her anger pushed down. In the back of her mind she told herself Sheldon wasn't trying to hurt her feelings but she didn't listen. She was tired of making excuses for what people said.

When her shift ended she decided to switch shifts with her co-worker Nancy. Penny hated the early shifts but she was not in the mood to see the guys or Sheldon for that matter. As soon as she got into her car, her emotions started spilling out one by one as if the seams of her body were being torn apart from keeping everything in. She arrived home and changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt before making her way towards her cabinet. Inside there were two unopened bottles of wine. Grabbing the first one she looked at, she grabbed the corkscrew and took a giant swig.

Before she knew it she finished off the finished the bottle and let it fall on the floor as she lay on her couch. Penny could feel the world moving but wasn't quite numb enough yet to forget how worthless she felt as a person. So she decided more wine would help. Penny sat up but due to the extreme dizziness she experienced she immediately fell back down and closed her eyes.

"Okay maybe more wine is not a good idea after all." she spoke out loud.

She draped her left arm over her eyes hoping the spinning would stop soon and was awoken later by knocking at her door.

Knock Knock Knock

"Penny."

She groaned at the sound of his voice.

Knock Knock Knock

"Penny."

Knock Knock Knock

"Penny"

"No one is home!" she shouted and placed her arm back over her eyes.

There was a pause but then the knocks followed by her name started again. Penny let out a frustrated grunt and decided to just answer the Whack-a-Doodle. Slowly Penny sat up and turned her body so her legs were flat on the floor. Hesitantly she pushed herself into a standing position and wobbled towards the door as he finished up his ritual. The light from the hallway hurt her eyes.

"What?"

Sheldon opened his mouth to speak but stopped and looked at her. She smelled heavily of alcohol and by the way her eyes are half closed, he could tell she was not in her right mind.

"Are you drunk Penny?"

"Who wants to know?"

She crossed her arms and went to lean against the doorframe but ended up slipping. Sheldon quickly reached out and caught her in his arms.

"Nice catch Superman."

He helped her back inside to her couch and gently sat her down before going back to close the door. He walked back and sat next to Penny whose head was leaning against the back of the couch.

"What do you want Sheldon?"

"I was curious as to why you were not at the Cheesecake Factory to serve us."

Penny looked over at her microwave and saw it was past eight. Since when did five hours pass since she got home?

"I traded shifts with someone else. I didn't need another comment about being a whore."

Sheldon raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware someone commented on you being a whore."

Penny shifted her head to look at the man next to her. Was he being serious right now?

"YOU are the one who called me a whore."

He looked appalled. "I would never call someone a whore. Growing up in the south taught me manners Penny."

"Well you had none today at the Cheesecake Factory."

It took Sheldon a moment but he finally realized what she meant.

"I believe you referring to when I called your behavior slutty. I wasn't saying you were a slut."

"What's the difference?"

"Penny you have never given any evidence of being a slut therefore I cannot call you one. I was only pointing out that you seemed to be doing something that is similar to being a slut."

Through her drunken haze she finally began to understand what Sheldon was saying. Her anger began to dissipate and was replaced by embarrassment and…something else.

She quickly stood up from the couch and ran to her bathroom just making it in time to release the contents in her stomach. She was there for a good five minutes when she felt her hair being removed and a wash cloth placed on the back of her neck. Once she was sure she had finished she flushed the toilet and shakily stood up. Sheldon kept his hands nearby in case she would fall.

Penny rinsed out the taste in her mouth and turned around to face the tall man behind her.

"I'm sorry Sheldon." She kept her gaze at the tiles on her floor while taking the washcloth off her neck.

"You are forgiven for misunderstanding Penny but I would suggest you refrain from using alcohol as a numbing agent as it does nothing to stop problems. I should know as my father abused it quite often."

She looked at him and was about to speak when a knock came from the front door. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she slowly made her way out of the bathroom but nearly fell down as she was exiting. Oh she was definitely going to pay for this tomorrow. Once more she breathed in and out and slowly made her way to her living room where she answered the door.

"Oh, hey Leonard. What's up?"

"Hi Penny. I hate to tell you this but it turns out the laser I need for an upcoming experiment is free during that day and…well…I can't take you to the hearing."

Penny suppressed the giggle that threatened to come out. He looked so guilty as if he had just committed a big crime.

"It's okay Leonard I'm not mad at you."

"Are you sure? Because it's okay if you're mad at me. If I were you I would be mad at me. I know I deserve your anger…"

"Leonard relax, it's fine. I can find someone else."

"Okay then…bye."

He walked back to his apartment and she closed her door. She didn't know why she felt such a sense of relief that he told her he couldn't go with her. Penny shrugged it off and turned back to Sheldon who had stood up and had his hands behind his back.

"Penny I have a proposal."

She bit her lip and crossed her arms before nodding, telling him to continue.

"Since you are without an escort, and cotillion training has told me to always escort a lady to places, would you accept me to accompany you to the hearing in exchange for working the dinner shift every Tuesday unless fallen ill so no one else will contaminate my food?"

Penny couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was agreeing to come with her.

"What about your appointment?"

Why was she questioning him after he had agreed to go?

"It can be rescheduled. Do we have an accord?"

She would have agreed to dressing up for Comic-Con if it meant he would go with her. Penny couldn't help the smile that started stretching across her face.

"I think I can do that."

* * *

**I know it's been a while but the last few weeks have been hard since I just got out of a five-year relationship so it's been difficult to have the motivation to write or do anything aside from sitting around like a statue and watching Doctor Who. I am going to try and get this as close to finished as I can before my semester begins in a few weeks. **

**Sorry if this chapter disappoints but it will get very exciting in the next chapter.**

**Thank you to all of you who have reviewed (keep them coming because they help a lot) and those who favorited and followed you are all super-fantastic and enjoy this chapter.**


	7. Time to Fly

Chapter 7: Time to Fly

The online dating site was ultimately a joke that Raj and Howard thought would be funny. They never expected to find a match for Sheldon because there seemed to be no one of his species. That was until the computer spit out Amy Farrah Fowler. It was a miracle to find someone of Sheldon's kind but it was another miracle to persuade him to meet her. And boy did Raj and Howard regret it.

By the time they returned home, Sheldon was tickled pink at the idea of having an intellectual equal and even three days later, he still wouldn't shut up about it.

"I've never thought of biology as a serious subject, considering the fact it deals with icky, squishy stuff, but Amy Farrah Fowler is one impressive woman."

Howard and Leonard rolled their eyes as Sheldon gushed once more about his new friend.

"Can you believe one date and he's already that smitten with her. Why didn't we do this before?" whispered an excited Raj to Howard.

"Because then we would have had to explain why there are two bodies instead of one." Howard dove back into his food while Raj just took a swig of his beer.

"So Sheldon, have you made a second date with Amy?" asked Leonard.

"We didn't even have a first date Leonard. How on earth do you expect us to have a second date?"

"Well…nevermind" Leonard wasn't in the mood for social explanations tonight.

A knock came from the door and Penny's head peeked inside.

"Hey guys." They each offered her a greeting and Leonard held out her order of dumplings while offering the big armchair for her to sit in.

"Thank you. So what's new? I heard you guys chatting loudly so what I have I missed?" she picked at a dumpling and was soon informed of Sheldon's new paramour.

"So it looks like our little Shelly found himself a girlfriend." Howard finished with a smirk.

Sheldon glared at his acquaintance. "First off, do not call me Shelly. Secondly she is not my girlfriend. We aren't even at the level of friendship yet, more like acquaintances. Like you Howard." he said with a smile.

The short man glared at the lanky scientist who was happy to take a bite of his orange chicken. "Also did you know that Amy Farrah Fowler once performed foot surgery on herself?"

As Sheldon continued on about Amy, Penny blocked out all conversation as she felt her heart drop. Sheldon found someone? Or kind of found someone? She had only known Sheldon for a short time but she felt a bit possessive over someone else staking a claim. She couldn't understand why she felt this way or where this dependency came from. All she was certain of was she wanted Sheldon nearby because he felt safe. She felt better with him.

"Penny, are you alright?" she snapped out of her reverie and looked at Leonard who had his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking about this news is all…it's surprising."

"Tell me about it. We didn't even think Sheldon had a deal before this but it looks like this Amy girl might be it."

Her heart sank deeper.

"I guess so…"

* * *

Amy wasn't officially introduced to the group until the following Tuesday night when she joined the guys for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Penny saw she was sitting next to Sheldon and the rest of the boys looked uncomfortable, which meant that it wasn't good. Taking a deep breath she put on a nice smile and walked over to the table.

"Hey guys. Are you ready to order?" She took the pen from behind her ear causing a few strands of hair from her bun to fall into her eyes. She pushed it back and glanced up where she noticed Sheldon's hand was twitching a bit. She decided to ignore it and get back to the business at hand.

"Penny, this is Sheldon's new friend Amy Farrah Fowler." Leonard introduced.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you."

"Hello. I assume you are the Penny who lives across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard, whom the latter is completely infatuated with."

Leonard flushed bright red and looked down at his hands.

"Yeah, sure…that's me," she laughed nervously. She really just wanted to be swallowed whole right now. "So, uh, I heard you're a biologist."

Amy looked pleased the blonde acknowledged her field of study. Penny couldn't help but notice how eerily similar Amy and Sheldon were and it only knotted her stomach.

"Neurobiologist," corrected Amy. "My work focuses on addictions of the brain, mostly in primates since our experiments were deemed unfit for human test subjects."

Penny's eyes widened and excused herself to go get their drinks. As she filled up each cup, she began to think about her first impression of Amy. She wasn't terrible looking. If she lost the polyester clothes and showed more of her figure she could be quite attractive. Then again it didn't seem like she minded her appearance and she had enough brains to make up for it. She held nothing back the way Sheldon did; hell even their speaking patterns were similar. As if it wasn't bad enough that Amy was way smarter than Penny, listening to what her job entailed made her feel more inferior to Sheldon.

When she returned to the table, Sheldon and Amy were in a deep conversation. The others didn't mind it but at the same time they couldn't look away. Penny didn't blame them. For all she knew, she was the only other non-family related female he conversed with and seeing him with someone else was bizarre.

"So the same all around?" she asked the boys who nodded in agreement. She wrote it all down, collected their menus, and then turned her attention to the oblivious couple. She felt awkward trying to interrupt them because it was almost as if she wasn't supposed to intrude. However she had a job to do and decided to forgo any type of kindness if it meant getting a paycheck in the end.

"Sorry to interrupt but Amy I need to take your food order."

"I'll have the chicken salad please." She didn't bat an eyelash as she handed Penny her menu.

"Amy did you know that…" The brunette returned her attention to the lanky scientist next to her.

Penny wrote down the order and stood there watching for a few more moments. She was almost hoping Sheldon would realize that he hadn't reminded her of how he wanted his burger like always but after thirty seconds he was still focused on his conversation with Amy. It happened all throughout dinner. They were in their own little world and he didn't even say goodbye to her once the check had been paid and they left to go home.

It felt like Kurt all over again.

Granted she and Sheldon weren't anything of the sort but she thought they were at least friends, given the time they had spent with each other and it hurt her to be ignored, especially with the court date this Friday.

She stopped short on her way back into the kitchen. Holy crap, she thought. It was that soon? She went to the bathroom and sat herself down in a stall to keep from having an anxiety attack. Penny placed her hands over her eyes and breathed in and out just like Bernadette showed her. Just the thought of even seeing him again made her want to jump in front of a moving train. Would she be able to go through with this? Was she strong enough? That was why she wanted someone to go with her. Penny didn't like admitting to being weak but after not taking any initiative to leave Kurt after that first time he hit her, she knew she had been weak from the start.

But was Sheldon the pillar of strength she needed?

Penny didn't get a chance to think about her answer when her manager popped in and told her she had another table waiting for her.

Hopefully Sheldon will remember, she thought.

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Sigh.

Penny had been sitting at her island counter for the past half hour, thinking about tomorrow. She had been tapping her nails on the counter that her light pink nail polish began to chip but at the moment she didn't care. Panic filled her stomach and paranoia invaded her mind. What happened if Kurt fought the order? What if she ended up getting a bad reputation?

What if he finally won?

"Oh God." The thought alone was frightening. She had to break free of him and she thought she finally did. It just wasn't fair that he wanted to keep hold of her when he didn't even want her in the first place. She was doing him a favor by leaving. Then he could get all the ass he wanted without having to remind himself he had someone at home waiting for him. Penny could feel the tears well up in her eyes. These thoughts were making her head spin and she felt more nervous than ever. It was time for some fresh air.

She grabbed her iPod, slipped on her sneakers and opened the door but nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed someone standing in front of her with his arm raised. On instinct she shied away from the arm but when the person cleared their throat she saw it was only Sheldon.

"Please don't ever do that again." she said as she placed her hand over her heart.

"Penny, I'm a physicist not a mind reader. How was I supposed to know you would open the door at the exact same time I was about to knock?"

She shook her head and stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

"What do you want Sheldon?"

He stood in front of her with his hands behind his back and made sure to look in her eyes. "Leonard has remarked that you have been looking morose for the past few days and as it is a non-optional social convention to make a hot beverage when one is distressed, I was wondering if you would like some tea."

Penny nearly missed what he was saying. She was a little fixated on the bright blue shade of his eyes. They seemed as if they had seen many things in different lifetimes but it was impossible since Sheldon was still a decently young man. However when someone had a beautiful mind like he did, it was as if they grew along with the universe while everyone else wasn't able to catch up. Penny wanted desperately to follow him and see what it was like to see things no one else could.

"Penny?" his voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she just nodded, uncertain if she would be able to talk at all. He then motioned for her to enter his apartment. She followed still trying to get her thoughts to wind down a bit and she took a seat on the middle cushion of the couch while Sheldon walked over to start making tea. Her eyes watched him move around the kitchen. Why was she so drawn to this man? He definitely wasn't anything like Kurt, or other boys she knew back in high school. He didn't care for sports, having the best body, or earning a lot of money. Most of all he was by no means physically strong. Why did she think he could protect her? Shouldn't she be the one to protect herself first and foremost? What happened to the strength she thought she had when she moved out here from Nebraska? Where was that girl?

"How many sugars do you take in your tea?" asked Sheldon.

"Two please." He did as she requested and brought her mug over. She took it from his grasp and moved over a bit so he could have enough room in his spot. Penny took a sip of the warm beverage and could feel her insides instantly warm, as well as a small bit of confidence. She decided to get an outsider's opinion.

"Sheldon, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course." He placed his mug on the coffee table in front of him.

"Do you think I'm strong enough to face Kurt in court tomorrow?" He seemed to be taken aback by her question. She wasn't sure if he forgot about her court date or if he was truly surprised at her question.

"Well, I don't know the full extent of your relationship with Kurt but I can surmise that it was highly unpleasant for you and caused a good deal of trauma," he turned his body to look at her. She had her knees curled up to her chest as she cradled her mug. He allowed himself to take her in before continuing. "Penny, I have come across many bullies in my life who have demonstrated great physicality, which many assume to be the definition of strength. However what many don't understand is that although physical strength does count for something, mental strength wins out in the end."

"Do you mean mind over matter?"

"In a manner of speaking. Mind over matter doesn't refer to the fact that the mind is more powerful than the body but more about controlling pain that one may or may not be experiencing[1]. However it does hold true for this situation. You seem to have been able to mask your troubles quite well, though not perfectly, but I haven't seen negative data that refutes the idea that you may not be ready to stand against your ex-boyfriend."

Penny was speechless. Now she realized why Sheldon was different. He actually saw the good in her while Kurt always pointed out the bad. If she really thought about it, Penny didn't know any guy she dated who was actually nice to her. Sure they were good looking and popular but they never actually cared about her feelings. Sheldon did, at least in his own way.

"Thanks Sheldon…I needed that." she smiled.

They remained silent for a few minutes before she decided to go take that walk she was about to do before he intervened. Her mental state had improved a bit and she wanted to take advantage of it. She placed her mug on the table and stood up.

"Thank you for the tea. I'm gonna go take a walk and get prepared for tomorrow." Sheldon nodded and stood up to escort her to the door. She had nearly stepped over the threshold when she turned around, catching him off guard with how close they were to each other.

"You're still coming with me tomorrow, right?"

"I did give you my word I would accompany you and my mother taught me to always honor a commitment I make to a woman." His voice was serious and he had his hands behind his back. Penny felt herself really smile. The kind of smile she had when she was a kid and didn't have to worry about being popular or dating the cute boy. One that was filled with pure innocence, a rare occurrence for adults and Sheldon found himself wishing she would show it off more often. It suited her to smile wide, he thought.

Without another word, Penny quickly kissed his cheek and ran down the stairs, now intent on going for a run with the energy she had. She felt invincible and more than ready to take on Kurt.

* * *

To Penny, 11 a.m. came too early for her and here she was, in a skirt and blazer about to face her smug ex-boyfriend. She looked around but still saw no sign of Sheldon. She thought he would have been here on time or at least an hour early. So why hasn't he shown up? Before she could think further on the matter, she was called into the court room.

With one last look around and still seeing no sign of her neighbor, Penny entered the room, her entire body shaking with anxiety. As she took a seat, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

You can do this, she told herself. You are strong…you are not weak. You can do this.

For the next hour and fifteen minutes she repeated these three phrases in her mind as the judge ruled in her favor and granted the restraining order. She should have felt relieved. She had gotten through it on her own and he had no control over her anymore. Penny could now breathe easily about having a new start and doing what she pleased.

However, all she could think about as she made her way back home was why Sheldon broke his promise and never showed up. She may have gotten over one problem but she knew she had a whole mess of new ones up ahead. Only this time, she was truly on her own.

* * *

** I'm baaaack!**

**Sorry for the super long wait but I had to sort a lot of things out in my life and then school got in the way and I am currently studying abroad in London so it's been a busy eight months for me. But I have been working on this chapter sporadically and decided it's time to get back to this story and finish it because I want to venture into other stories, not to mention Sheldon and Penny (and all y'all) need a resolution. So this probably has three to five more chapters left before it's done. Thanks for all your patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Also I stole the definition of mind over matter from Wikipedia and if school has taught me anything, it's to never plagarise.**

**I own nothing but the plot**


	8. Something I Can Never Have

Chapter 8: Something I Can Never Have

Penny heard the door shut to 4A and looked at her wrist watch.

8:15 on the dot.

She hadn't left her apartment all day and anytime she heard voices across the hall, her heartbeat would rapidly increase. She wanted to confront Sheldon about breaking his promise but at the same time, she was tired of conflict. After a four year battle, she finally had some peace of mind and there was no way she was about to ruin that just because her neighbor decided to be a prick and break his promise just like the other prick she knew.

Okay that was a little harsh, she thought. Sheldon and Kurt could not be lumped together in the same category. They were completely different people. Kurt was all about looks and had a narcissistic personality. Sheldon, on the other hand, was about facts and science. Granted he was just as narcissistic, but since he had an insanely high IQ and several degrees to his credit, he had more leeway to flaunt his abilities. However she had pegged Sheldon to be a nice guy even if he had trouble dealing with people. He hadn't done things to intentionally hurt her and became almost like her white knight. Never did she think he would betray her. He even admitted his mother taught him to honor his commitments.

So what happened?

Before she could figure out what the hell she was doing, she found herself in the doorway of the laundry room watching her neighbor methodically place his clothes in the washer, completely oblivious to her presence. Penny wasn't entirely sure where her courage was coming from to finally speak up.

"Hi Sheldon."

The scientist stood up straight and looked in her direction.

"Hello Penny," he responded. "Where is your laundry basket?"

"Excuse me?" she asked perplexed at his inquiry.

"Usually when one comes down to the laundry room it is to launder one's clothes. Therefore I inquired as to where your laundry basket was since you do not have it with you." He went back to placing his clothes in the machine.

Penny suddenly found herself extremely annoyed with his condescension.

"Well unlike you Sheldon, I don't have a set laundry day and I don't need to clean my clothes just yet." she crossed her arms and jutted her left hip out as she glared at him. The look startled him when he closed his washer and glanced at her.

"Then I don't see why you should be in the laundry room then if you don't need to use it."

Her anger was starting to rise. "Maybe I came down here for another purpose. Did you ever think about that?"

"Why else would you need to come to a laundry room if you didn't need it to clean clothes?" he asked truly confused. It only made Penny even angrier.

"You are impossible! You know that?"

"I can be impossible; I exist," he corrected. "I think you meant I'm improbable."

Penny let out a grunt of exasperation as she could feel her emotions starting to boil over. She placed her hands on her face, trying to take deep breaths but it was no use.

"Penny, although I am not very good at reading people's emotions, I take it you are angry or upset."

"Wow, nothing gets by you Sheldon."

"Sarcasm?"

"Oh my God, yes sarcasm!" she threw her hands up in the air, causing the man to jump back. "Jeez Sheldon, how is it a smart ass like you can be so dense sometimes?"

He was offended by the indirect statement calling him stupid. "Excuse me Penny but there is no reason to take your anger out on me when you are experiencing, what I believe females define as PMS."

"I am not PMSing Sheldon! I am angry because you didn't show up yesterday!" her voice reverberated throughout the room and it made Sheldon stand completely still.

"You promised me that you would be there with me in that court room because you were told to honor your commitments," she could see him understand what she was talking about and could feel tears start to form. "So what else was so important that you ended up not coming?"

He stood there, completely silent but face turning bright red. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Penny was certain that he was embarrassed for breaking a promise, not to mention reluctant to admitting why he did so in the first place. If it was work related then it shouldn't have been an issue; she understood that he lived and breathed physics.

"Did you end up having a breakthrough in your research or something?" she offered.

"Yes…actually I did and…that is a lie." He cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes.

"So if it wasn't work then what…" It suddenly became clear. There was one other thing that Sheldon had started to become fond of that was second rate to science, but still something that kept him interested.

"Amy." It came out in a whisper and when she saw that Sheldon would look anywhere except at her, she knew she was right. "You ditched me…for Amy."

"I didn't ditch you Penny. Amy invited me to the zoo earlier that morning and I simply lost track of the time."

"You lost track of the time?" she repeated it because she didn't believe a word.

"Yes. There is something about koalas eating eucalyptus that makes me melt inside."

"You have a photographic memory and yet you lost track of the time?" her voice grew louder with every word until she practically screamed the last word, causing Sheldon to flinch. It still didn't stop him from correcting her.

"I have an eidetic memory, Penny. Photographic is just a misnomer."

Penny wanted nothing more than to punch him square in the jaw. She wanted to scream until her voice was raw, smash everything breakable that it would put the Hulk to shame; she wanted to physically hurt him.

Instead Penny walked right up to him and looked him right in the eye. Sheldon leaned back a little bit, not comfortable that she was invading his personal space, but also starting to feel very guilty with her entrancing green eyes that held nothing but disappointment and hurt. Penny shook her head and stomped out of the room without another word. She didn't know what to say to him so she let her silence do the talking for her.

* * *

"The guys at table five asked for you."

Penny glanced up from where she was at the register putting in another table's bill at her co-worker, who then nodded towards the table that held the four geeky scientists. They were all in a heated discussion about something and could vaguely hear the groans of the other three as Sheldon went into a long rant. Penny shrugged and turned back to her original task.

"I requested to not take care of that table anymore. Bernadette is in charge of their orders now." She printed out the receipt and walked over to her other table to set down the check before heading back into the kitchen to check on another customer's food. Penny pretended to not see Sheldon's eyes follow her as she glided in and out of the dining room. She hadn't spoken a word to him since Saturday and she didn't plan on changing her mind anytime soon. However this also meant she avoided the other three and it was a little unfair, considering her only issue was with Sheldon. She was contemplating on when she would be able to be around them without Sheldon in the picture when her cell phone went off, jumping a bit as it vibrated against her hip. She walked over to a corner of the room and looked at the unfamiliar number. Usually she ignored unknown callers but perhaps it was someone she forgot to put in once she switched her number. She swiped the screen to answer the call.

"Hello?" she asked looking around, hoping her manager didn't see her on the phone. She would have had to have a lecture about being a good employee, which was not what she needed at the moment.

But no one answered her. "Hello?" she tried again but was once more met with silence. She ended the call and placed her phone back in her pocket and turned around to pick up an order when a body blocked her path.

"Leonard!" she jumped and placed a hand over her heart.

"Sorry Penny, I didn't mean to scare you."

She punched his shoulder regardless, but not enough to hurt him that much. Still he yelped as if she had caused a bruise. She knew when someone hit hard enough to leave a bruise so she felt no sympathy.

"Just don't do that again. What's up?" she placed a hand on her hip, a little impatient to get back to work.

"I realized that you haven't been around us lately and Sheldon admitted you were angry with him. Is everything alright?" he asked with concern on his face.

Penny smiled and reached out to rub the spot she hit on his arm. "No, everything isn't alright just yet but I would rather you not mediate what is going on between me and your Whack-a-doodle roommate because it doesn't concern you," she said firmly. "But thank you for checking up on me. You're a good friend, Leonard."

She leaned over to kiss his cheek before giving his arm one more pat on the shoulder and returning to her job. Penny had just reached the kitchen once more to pick up an order when her phone buzzed again. It was the same number as before.

"Hello?" Silence. "Who is this?" Silence again and then she heard the person hang up.

Penny stared at her phone and turned it off. She had a bad vibe about the person who was calling her but decided to shove it to the back of her mind and focus on getting her job done so she could get home and relax for once.

* * *

Her key was in the lock and she could feel the sensation of kicking her shoes off, changing into her favorite pair of sweatpants and vegging out in her bed when she heard the door across the hall open. "Hey Penny."

She turned around and saw Leonard, Howard, and Raj standing in the doorway with fake smiles on their faces. She eyed them carefully.

"Penny, may I say that no one can wear cheesecake as well as you do?" Howard gave her a flirty smile but ended up reminding her of a guy who likes to hang around alley ways, luring women into his trap.

"No and please don't ever again. Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Well, Sheldon isn't home yet and we wondered if you wanted to join us for Halo?" Leonard motioned to his living room where they had soda cans and a bowl of popcorn set up on the coffee table.

She hadn't been able to spend time with the guys, even though she wished Howard would crawl under a rock and stay there, but the fact that Sheldon wasn't around was a something she wasn't sure would happen again. Her answer was out before she could fully think about the consequences. "Sure just give me a second to change." And with that she entered her apartment and put on her comfy clothes, grabbing her phone, and heading back over where she sat on the couch next to Raj, who tried very hard not to look in her general direction.

"So, whose team am I on?" she asked picking up a controller.

"Howard and I will be a team and you can be with Raj and then we'll switch." Leonard explained.

"Okay then," she picked her character and poised her fingers over the buttons. "Lock and load boys." She smirked.

An hour later, Penny had pretty much dominated the entire game, no matter whose team she was on. When she and Raj had won, the guys thought it was beginners luck. That was until she started showing no mercy when it came to strategy, which was to shoot anyone who crossed her path.

"Jeez Penny, you are on fire!" said Leonard.

"Yeah so is Howard." She pointed out. The engineer glared at the blonde before curing himself with a med pack.

Penny had just blown up Raj and won the game when the door opened to reveal Sheldon and Amy. "Leonard, why are you playing Halo? It's not Halo night."

"We were bored and wanted to play Halo so we invited Penny over for a little bit. Besides we can play Halo on other nights, not just Wednesday." Leonard set down his controller and started picking up empty soda cans off of the table.

"Good evening Penny." Sheldon greeted with a nod. She gave him one right back but said nothing. "I believe you remember Amy Farrah Fowler even though your encounter with each other was brief." He motioned at the woman next to him before removing his coat and putting it in the closet.

"Hi Amy." She said with the smallest of smiles.

"Hello. Sheldon, I assume I am relieved of my chauffeur duties for tonight?"

He nodded. "Yes and thank you for driving me. I must say you have quite a grasp of physics for a neurobiologist. I was quite enraptured in our conversation."

"As was I. Perhaps we can continue it when we have our Skype session tomorrow."

"I agree. Well, it's bedtime and I have to prepare. Please show yourself out."

"Good night Sheldon." She nodded to the rest of the group and walked out the door. Penny let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and decided it was time for her to leave as well.

"I think I'm going to head back to my apartment and get to bed early. Thanks for inviting me to play guys, it was fun." She smiled at them and turned to leave when Leonard wondered if she could join them again tomorrow.

Penny looked over at Sheldon who was fixing himself a mug of warm milk. Feeling her eyes upon him, he glanced up and held her gaze until she shook her head.

"No but thanks anyway. See you guys tomorrow." She opened the door and closed it behind her as she walked the few steps to her door when she heard someone speak up.

"Penny, wait."

Sheldon walked up to her and stood nervously in front of her. "Leonard informed me that I should apologize if I did something wrong and due to your continued silence around me, I assume that I do owe you an apology. Therefore I am sorry for not showing up to your court date."

She crossed her arms in front of her. "Are you really sorry? Or are you doing this because Leonard said you should and so I would talk to you again?"

"It isn't my fault that you don't believe me when I explained I lost track of time and why." He defended.

"Sheldon you made me a promise and I believed you because I trusted you. It hurt me to know that I couldn't trust anyone, even you, to keep promises to me. I'm not going to forgive you just because you were told to apologize. Unless you are sincere about hurting me, you can count on having a new waitress to bring you your burger."

Penny opened the door to her apartment and was closing her door until Sheldon placed his hand to stop it from shutting all the way.

"Leonard offered to go with you. Why did you want me there instead when you could have relied on him?"

No. She wouldn't tell him. She couldn't. As if he would actually understand her feelings; he could barely stop condescending anything she said. If he did the same with how she felt, she would break instantly. So she shot back her own questions.

"Why did you save me from those guys at the bowling alley?"

Neither of them spoke as they let their unanswered questions hang in the air as they stared at each other, not knowing they were slowly closing the gap between their chests. Penny's brain finally caught up to her and she stepped back from her neighbor.

"Come knock on my door when you have a sincere apology for me." Quickly she shut the door in his face and locked the dead bolt. She leaned her forehead against the door and took a deep breath. Holy crap that was intense, she thought. How much longer could she do this? She knew she was developing feelings for Sheldon, more than she would care to admit. But she couldn't handle it now; not while things were so messy and just starting to get back to normal.

Penny shook her head and got into bed, turning on her phone to set an alarm. What she didn't expect was the twenty missed calls that awaited her. She checked and saw that they all came from the same number which called consistently during the hour she was playing Halo. She went to press delete when the number called again.

Immediately she ignored it and once more switched off her phone. Penny set the alarm on watch before cocooning herself into her blankets and tossing her phone onto her pile of dirty laundry.

_Please let this be a bad dream_ was her last though before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**This chapter kind of went off on its own. Apparently my mind is extremely motivated to get this story finished and done well. But hey it's better than waiting another eight months for an update, right?**

**Keep the reviews coming (they make my day brighter) and enjoy!**

**I own only the plot.**


	9. Paranoid

Chapter 9: Paranoid

Fortunately the calls stopped coming the following day.

Unfortunately, Penny now found herself uneasy anytime her phone rang. As soon as the ringer went off she froze for a few minutes, screened the call, and cautiously looked at the ID once the noise went away. It didn't help when her manager was the one calling and asking if she could pick up an extra shift later on in the week, due to one of her co-workers having a death in the family.

This was no way to live her new life. She wasn't supposed to be scared and she knew Kurt was behind all of this. Who else could frighten her so, not to mention make sure she knew who she dealt with and what the consequences were. If she were honest with herself, she would never leave the apartment if it wasn't for her job and the fact that she had bills to pay. Still that didn't mean she wasn't cautious the moment she opened her front door. Every morning she would peek out to make sure it was empty and look over her shoulder every few seconds if she ever heard a small noise.

Today was no different.

She opened the door and poked her head out to see, much to her relief, that she was the only person in the hallway. Penny quickly exited her apartment and was almost done locking her door when someone tapped her shoulder. She let out a high pitched scream that was echoed by another voice and threw her back against the door, arms spread out wide and holding onto the doorframe. She saw Sheldon standing there, breathing just as heavily with his hand over his heart.

"You startled me," he scolded.

"I startled you? You came out of nowhere and tapped me on the shoulder, you whack-a-doodle," she glared at him and tried to get her own heart rate under control. She rechecked her doorknob and was satisfied that it wouldn't budge. Penny then readjusted the strap on her purse and turned back to her neighbor.

"What do you want Sheldon? I'm going to be late for work," she glanced at her watch and thought if she drove fast enough, and no cops were near any red lights, she could get there on time. Unless Sheldon decided to talk her ear off.

"What do you want me to do Penny?"

The question threw her off completely. She shook her head in confusion.

"I-I don't..."

"I have never been adept at reading people or their emotions," he interrupted. "And I find myself incongruously disturbed that I have disappointed you, which has led to you avoiding me. I followed social convention and offered an apology but you still are upset with me and…"

As he spoke he was pacing back and forth in the hallway, his hands flexing into fists at his side and Penny was frightened. She didn't know Sheldon was capable of freaking out like this. All she could do was stand there and bite her lip hoping he would stop whatever he was doing. He must have read her thoughts because suddenly he stopped right in front of her, looking down at the ground, hands curled into tight fists at his side.

"And what, Sheldon?"

"I do not know why I am uneasy seeing you distressed, especially when I am the cause of it. I don't want you to be upset Penny."

He met her gaze and she nearly stopped breathing when she saw how glassy his blue eyes became. He stepped closer and when he noticed she didn't flinch or move back he brought his other foot forward and found himself a few inches away from her. Logically he knew that he was listening to his instincts and the scientist in him told him to step back since he was no animal. But instead he lifted his hand to her cheek as if to caress her skin but hesitated, letting his fingers float above their target. Penny felt herself stop breathing and closed her eyes when she felt the slightest graze. She wanted to lean into his touch more than anything.

"Penny, I can't figure out what is happening. What am I feeling?" he whispered. She could tell his mouth was nearby, perhaps a mere two inches from hers as she felt her skin prickle from his warm breath.

"What do you want to do Sheldon?" she asked just as quietly.

His knuckles gently caressed her cheek as he leaned in a little more.

"I-I- wa- I want…"

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

Penny jumped away from Sheldon to grab her phone out of her purse. She looked at the message and glanced up at Sheldon whose eyes were as wide as plates.

"I need to go Sheldon." Without another word Penny ran down the stairs, out the door, and to her car. She opened the car door quickly and reopened the message.

WARNING TO YOUR FRIEND. I NEVER LOSE.

She knew now more than ever it was Kurt who was leaving her the messages. But how the hell did he know she was with Sheldon in the hallway? There were no windows, the elevator was broken, and so the only place left was the stairwell...oh shit!

Penny's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Was it possible he really was watching from the stairs? She couldn't suppress the shudder she felt as she thought about Kurt looking at her and Sheldon in that tender moment. The worst part was the image his eyes that looked ready to pounce on the lanky physicist and reclaim what he thought was his. She was snapped out of her thoughts by another message.

YOU LOOK HOT IN YOUR UNIFORM PEN.

She threw her phone in the passenger seat and turned the key in the ignition before speeding off.

* * *

Penny was a nervous wreck throughout her shift. The slightest movement out of the corner of her eye made her jump, nearly spilling drinks on quite a few customers. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and asked her manager for the rest of her shift off. She didn't care if she lost an entire day's pay, she just couldn't be by herself for much longer. So on an impulse she got into her car and sped off towards CalTech. She followed the signs that led to the Sciences building but once she was inside, she had no idea on how to find Sheldon's office.

As she walked down the hallway, glancing at every sign at every door, she bumped into two people who she knew would be helpful.

"Hello fair maiden, what brings your gorgeous self to our neck of the woods?" Howard asked in his seductive voice. Raj just waved at Penny.

"Hey guys, do you know where Sheldon's office is?"

Both of their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Surely they heard her wrong. There was no way she was actually asking for Sheldon.

"It's a bit of an emergency so can you shove your eyes back into your skull and help me out please?" Penny asked impatiently and immediately they snapped back to reality.

"Down the hall, two lefts and the first door on your right," answered Howard. With a thank you she hurried away.

Raj whispered into his friend's ear. "Do you really have to do that? She's gone so you are free to talk!"

"My question was about her and I didn't want her to hear! I was just being polite," Raj stamped away from Howard who followed, rolling his eyes at his strange best friend.

Penny had never felt more relief than seeing Sheldon's plaque on the upcoming door. She was just approaching the door when she saw it open and out stepped Amy, who was talking to Sheldon about something sciency. Penny stopped where she was, absolutely regretting her decision to come here.

"I look forward to the symposium tomorrow evening Sheldon. I'm sure it will be quite the show when you, as the saying goes, 'stick it to him'," Amy said with a small smile.

"I look forward to it as well. Thank you for coming by Dr. Fowler, good day," Amy nodded and walked down the hall and gave Penny a small wave.

"Hello Penny. I didn't know there was a delivery from the Cheesecake Factory today. In fact I didn't know the Cheesecake Factory made deliveries," Penny could tell she wasn't trying to be rude, just making an observation. But it still didn't mean that she was okay with it.

"No I just finished a shift. I came here to-to uh…"

"Penny?" Sheldon stepped out of his office when he heard Amy say hello to someone and was surprised to see his neighbor standing just down the hall. "Is there something I can do for you?" he asked.

"Yes actually! Uh, may I talk to you about…something?"

"Well I am about to get back to work since Amy came for an appointed visit,"

Her heart sank. However her jealousy grew. He could make time for Amy any day but not for her when she actually needed to talk to someone? She wanted nothing more than to turn on her heel and head back home.

No. She wasn't going to walk away with her tail between her legs. She was sick of trying to please men in her life. If she was going to take charge of her life, then she was about to start right now.

"I'm sure ten minutes won't kill you," she said with a low growl and stalked forward, pushing Sheldon into his office and slamming the door shut without another glance at a very stunned Amy.

"Penny! What do you think you are doing? I never invited you into my office," he huffed.

"I don't care Sheldon! After not honoring your commitment to me, you kind of owe me this," she stood in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest, only feeling the slightest bit of guilt when he hung his head at her words.

"I told you I apologized for that Penny. What more could I do to appease you?"

"You think you're the only one confused about things Sheldon?" That's an understatement considering what she was feeling at the moment. "Well I've got news for you, I'm just as conflicted as you are, you big jerk!"

Penny turned her back on Sheldon and rubbed her hands down her face. She felt like a volcano about to explode. She could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes and she wanted nothing more than to shout everything; her anger at Kurt and her inescapable fear of him, her jealousy of Amy, and her uncertain feelings for the man behind her. It was so overwhelming and she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Sheldon took a few, hesitant steps towards her and tentatively reached his hand to rest gently on her shoulder.

That's when all hell broke loose.

"No!" she shoved his hand away from her and moved away towards his whiteboard. "You are not allowed to touch me and confuse me even more Sheldon!"

"Excuse me but you're the one that has been confusing ME this entire time!" Sheldon hardly ever raised his voice but like Penny, his frustrations have finally reached their limit. "You have been the one who has been coming to me when I have offered no such comfort to you. Yet you still find a way to weasel yourself into my life and make me feel things I don't understand! I don't like being unsure of anything Penny," he growled.

"You think all of this was my fault?"

"Well I didn't do anything to warrant your attention. So please explain to me why you decided I was the one to run to when Leonard has been more than willing to embrace you?"

"Because you were different!" she could feel moisture on her cheeks, indicating she was crying but she was too far gone to really care at the moment. "You weren't trying to do anything to be near me and it was nice to not have to worry for a change. You were a nice guy, Sheldon. Something I haven't experienced in a long time."

Sheldon opened his mouth to retort when she interrupted him, "And who do you think you are claiming to be the innocent one? You didn't have to respond to me, you didn't have to stick up for me when I was being harassed at the bowling alley, and you certainly touched me on your own accord this morning. So what is your explanation for that?"

Curses! He thought. Sheldon had to give credit to the woman in front of him. She was smarter than she looked.

"From what I remember Sheldon, you didn't seem too upset when I kissed you that one time,"

Sheldon's cheeks grew warm when he remembered the brief peck she bestowed him after the bowling alley fiasco. It confused him but also made him feel good, as if he deserved it. But he wasn't about to admit that to her.

"Well you caught me off guard," he tried to hold conviction with his response but both could tell it wasn't working.

"This morning when I asked you what you wanted, what were you going to say?" Penny's voice was now calm and low but the tears kept coming. Sheldon didn't like seeing her cry and wanted it to stop. Still he wasn't sure how to answer that question because the truth was he didn't know what he wanted. He had trouble articulating it then, how could he do so now?

"I still don't know Penny…I just don't..."

"Then what do you feel Sheldon?" she walked over to him and made him look at her. It scared her to pieces the courage she found to do this but if she was going to face her issues, he would have to be right beside her in order to get some answers.

"I don't like seeing you cry," he whispered. "I don't like you being angry with me; I don't want you to avoid me. But I like feeling as if I'm a super hero who has to help the damsel in distress. I like…" he paused to lift his hand up to her cheek like he had this morning. He softly dragged his knuckles across her very soft skin and Penny felt herself stop breathing in that moment. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say and she wanted, needed, to hear it.

Her lips came dangerously close to his and he leaned back just a bit. Penny brought her hand up his chest and wrapped it around the nape of his neck.

"Just say it Sheldon," she begged in a whisper.

Blue eyes met green and Sheldon gulped audibly before finally letting his reserve slip. He placed his hands softly on her hips and moved her body a bit closer. He had no idea what he was doing but like last time, he just let his instinct kick in. He could hear Penny slightly gasp at the closeness but it only gave him a shot of self-confidence.

"I like you Penny. I like you very much."

That's when lips met in a tender kiss.

Penny pulled away briefly but Sheldon dove back in, finding her lips slightly addicting. Her hands intertwined around his neck as his hold on her waist tightened. The kissing remained gentle and Penny was more than okay with that. Never had she felt so cared for. He held her close as if she were a fragile doll that would break at the slightest touch. The emotion she felt for this man grew rapidly in this one moment and it wasn't enough to just be this close to him. She wanted more. Penny proceeded to deepen the kiss in order to convey just how he was making her feel in that moment. Sheldon started to respond in turn when something knocked against the window.

The couple broke apart and glanced to see what has interrupted them but saw nothing. Penny and Sheldon then turned their focus back to each other, chests heaving up and down. Neither wanted to make the first move because it meant the moment had been shattered and they would have to deal with the fact that their relationship had just experienced a massive shift. Sheldon's phone going off his desk remedied the situation. He escaped from Penny's grasp and answered the call.

"Doctor Sheldon Cooper," he answered not taking his eyes off of Penny. He received no response on the other end of the line. He lifted his phone away and saw the person had ended the call.

"Who was it?" Penny asked. Silently she was hoping that they could continue with kissing once again, but Sheldon's response drew her attention.

"I'm not sure. The person didn't answer my greeting, nor do I know the number,"

"It didn't say who was calling?"

"The caller just says Unknown. Odd, what unknown caller would be trying to reach me but then won't respond when I answer?" he asked genuinely confused.

Penny on the other hand had a large hunch as to who had just called. The question was how in the hell he had gotten a hold of Sheldon's number? It was bad enough that the harassment was being directed at her but the idea of him doing something to Sheldon made Penny's stomach do somersaults. No don't think like that, she told herself. Everyone gets unknown callers all the time and it didn't mean that her obsessive ex-boyfriend was the one calling. She tried repeating this to herself over and over again, hoping to quell the rising panic within her chest but she knew Kurt was doing this. The blonde was startled out of her thoughts when two hands were placed on her shoulders.

"Are you alright? You are shaking and look very pale, Penny," Sheldon commented.

"I think it was Kurt who called you," she said quietly but he still heard her.

"Why on earth would your ex-boyfriend need to call me for? We don't know each other and I'm sure he has nothing worth telling me that I need to hear."

"I don't know Sheldon but he's been doing it to me as well," Penny took out her phone and showed him all the calls and text messages, particularly the most recent one. "He sent this to me this morning right before I left. Sheldon he was in the building!"

Penny started freaking out worse and all Sheldon could think of to do is pat her on the back and whisper, "There, there".

"I don't know how much more I can take of this Sheldon," she said biting her lip in worry. "Right now it's just text messages and phone calls but what if it escalates to more?"

"Penny you have a restraining order in place do you not?" she nodded. "Then you enforce it and call the police; simple as that."

No it wasn't as simple as that, she thought. Kurt was lethal and when the right buttons were pushed he could do some major harm. She could still feel all the times her body collided with the wall or against the sharp corner of the dresser. The blows he laid on her could still be heard vibrating in her ears. She was lucky he hadn't done worse when she knew he was capable of really hurting her.

"Sheldon I am terrified of him," she finally voiced it out loud and felt herself slump against Sheldon's chest in exhaustion. He wrapped his arms around her and stood still, pondering what he could do to help.

"I suggest you go home and lock all windows in your apartment," he pulled away to dig through his messenger bag to fish out his key. "Then stay in mine and get some rest until I return home this evening. We will then notify the authorities of what has been happening."

She nodded and took the key from him, holding onto him for a little longer. Sheldon squeezed her hand in reassurance that things will be okay. She truly wanted to believe him but her gut was saying that things were about to get much worse. Finally deciding to head back to her apartment, she placed Sheldon's house key in her purse before reaching up to give him one last soft kiss on his lips. Penny couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face when his hands immediately went to her waist. Sheldon walked her to the door but before taking her leave, she turned back to the physicist.

"Am I allowed to sit in your spot?"

He gave her a look as if to say 'are you kidding me'. Penny couldn't help the giggle that escaped.

"Penny, although I have succumbed to the fact that my affection for you is at quite a high level, this does not mean you have permission to take my spot even when I am not there to physically claim it," he explained as he placed his hands behind his back. The stance made Penny smile because it was just so Sheldon and Sheldon, she thought, is pretty adorable.

"Okay. I promise I will not sit in your spot. Scout's honor," she held up three fingers to which he shook his head in derision. She in turn rolled her eyes. "I'll see you at home Whack-a-doodle."

This time she was surprised when he placed a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned in for a chaste kiss that left her dizzy and wanting more. "Good bye Penny,"

She walked down the hallway in a daze, not even remembering how she opened her car or drove home. All she could think about was the feeling of Sheldon's lips on hers. How soft and gentle they were and she even sensed hesitancy. Not that she could blame him, she was hesitant herself. Since she moved in to the building she didn't think Sheldon would even want her to be as close as she was, let alone initiating contact; but he did and it made Penny all the more giddy. She skipped up the stairs to the fourth floor, simultaneously grabbing her house keys out of her purse. Once on the landing she finally found them and went to unlock the door, only to find it slightly ajar.

The smile she had on her face instantly vanished. Her body stood stiff in the middle of the hallway, only able to hear the sound of her heart beat pounding in her ears. She was the only one with a key to her apartment aside from the building manager but as far as she knew, he was hardly ever around. Adrenaline kicked in and she turned away from her apartment, hurriedly unlocking 4A. Once she was safe inside she dead bolted the door and reached for the house phone to call 911. She felt a little comfort when an officer told her two of his colleagues would be there in ten minutes. After hanging up the phone she curled up on the couch, hugging her legs to her chest. Every little sound made her jumpy whether it was the refrigerator humming or the neighbors moving across the floor upstairs. Penny felt as if she was naked now that her one semblance of privacy and safety had been shattered.

Kurt was being relentless now. He had entered her apartment, she was sure of it. Whether he was there waiting or not she really didn't want to find out. Tears began to fall as she tried to calm herself down. It was when her phone started to vibrate over and over again that she started to sob heavily and only made worse when she heard the sirens approaching.

Would she ever feel safe?

* * *

**So two things:**

**Numero uno: Sorry if it feels a little rushed with Sheldon and Penny but I kind of blame it on my own impatience and reading a bit too much romantic fanfiction so my sappy side is coming out. **

**Numero dos: I am back from London and done with my semester (which has been the best by far) so I will try and get this done by the end of this month, maybe next. We'll see how writer's block treats me.**

**Reviews make my day and I own only the plot.**


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